Because You Care
by huntinglily
Summary: "As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Quinn needed Rachel and she needed Rachel to see that." When Quinn shows up at Rachel's door with a glaring bruise and tears in her eyes, it starts a journey from the kind-of friends they are to something that neither of them ever quite anticipated. Faberry with a helping of Brittana and a side order of glee club.
1. Chapter 1

**Quick note before I start - to anyone reading Letters To Quinn, not to worry! That story is nowhere near over. I have the next few chapters written and they'll be posted very soon. I got side-tracked with this new story, though, and wasn't patient enough to wait it out until I finished Letters. Thanks for being so patient!**

**Okay -**

**Take what you will from this first of many chapters. It's canon to the point of Quinn giving birth to Beth. My own imagination picks up from there. I'm always hopeful for Faberry. **

**Cheers!**

* * *

When Rachel Berry opened her front door at 1:30am, the last person on earth she expected to see standing there was Quinn Fabray, head cheerleader and her own personal tormenter.

Pause. Make that _former_ personal tormenter. Ever since Quinn had given birth to her daughter Beth, she had become rather quiet and calm at school, rarely lashing out at Rachel the way she used to. Instead of taunting smirks and cruel insults, Rachel was now met with exasperated tolerance and polite, friendly conversation, give or take a few jabs every so often. Quinn had even taken to calling her Berry instead of the array of degrading nicknames she had once christened Rachel with.

They were kind-of friends. It wasn't perfect but it was so much better than it ever had been before.

"Quinn?" she said in disbelief, her voice laced with sleep as she blinked against the harsh light of the hallway. "What's going on? What are you doing here?" Immediately, a million insecurities ran through her head and she felt a small twinge of panic – what if Quinn had had a change of heart and had come here to, like, kill her? But as soon as the thought entered her mind, Rachel banished it. It was melodramatic, even for her, and she scolded her mind for thinking it.

Still…even former bullies don't just show up at their former victim's door at two in the morning for friendly visits, do they?

"I'm sorry," Quinn choked out, unknowingly interrupting Rachel's internal panic attack. She could feel Rachel trying to catch her gaze but she kept her head down as she continued, "I didn't…I didn't know where else to go and I didn't want anyone else to see me like this."

"See you like what?" Rachel asked warily, and gasped in horror as Quinn finally lifted her head and Rachel caught the first glimpse of the blood that was trickling from Quinn's lips. There was more coming from a cut on her forehead and as Rachel's eyes finally fully adjusted to the glaring light, she felt sick to her stomach; there were several red welts on Quinn's neck and an already-purple bruise just under her right eye.

Quinn wanted nothing more than to shy away from Rachel's terrified gaze. She felt terrifically exposed but forced herself to keep her head up and allow Rachel to see the damage that had been done to her that night.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Quinn needed Rachel and she needed Rachel to see that.

"Quinn, you– you're bleeding from– I don't understand. What _happened_?"

Rachel's grasped for words but her horrified questions stopped as soon as she caught sight of the tears in Quinn's bloodshot eyes. She weighed the options in her mind for about three seconds before making the executive decision that no matter what Quinn had done to her in the past, they were friends now and the girl standing in front of her clearly needed help. That was more important than anything else.

Quinn could see the hesitation but determination in Rachel's eyes and almost cried in sheer relief when the smaller girl ushered her inside and guided her to the bathroom attached to what she assumed to be Rachel's bedroom.

Rachel instructed Quinn to sit on the counter but the taller just stood there staring at the spot Rachel had pointed to.

"Um…is everything okay?"

Quinn turned to Rachel, looking embarrassed. "I'm kind of…drunk," she told her, which didn't surprise Rachel. Not only was the blonde swaying slightly but Rachel figured she had come from a party. In any case, Rachel herself had been drunk before and understood at once what Quinn was implying. She held out her hand and helped the taller girl balance herself on the counter.

"Thanks."

Quinn sat in silence as Rachel bustled around the bathroom, taking cleansing wipes, cotton balls, antiseptic, and a box of band aids out of the cabinet. She took the opportunity to close her eyes and even though doing so made her head spin, she kept them shut as she sent up a silent prayer of gratitude that Rachel was taking care of her.

Rachel watched as Quinn did this and something about the sight of the blonde sitting there with her eyes closed made Rachel's throat constrict. She forced herself not to cry – she was supposed to be the stable one right now – and took out one of the wipes.

"Quinn?"

"Rach?" Quinn kept her eyes closed.

Rachel knew that Quinn calling her Rach shouldn't mean anything. But knowing didn't stop her from biting her lip to keep from smiling at the nickname.

"Everything's ready."

"Okay."

Quinn sat as still as she could, waiting for Rachel's touch, but it never came. Finally she opened her eyes and found Rachel with a cleansing wipe in her hand, looking conflicted.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I– I know you don't appreciate having to tolerate other people touching you and I fully realize that you probably need help but I felt the need to ask first. Do you…can I help?" Rachel asked nervously, and Quinn titled her head to the side.

"How do you know I don't like being touched?"

Her tone was purely curious so Rachel decided to answer honestly, "Well, I _have_ been going to school with you since sixth grade," she said with a wry smile. "I'm a very observant person. I see the way you react when someone touches you, especially from behind when you can't see them and you aren't expecting it. Normally you tense up, sometimes you flinch, and you always, always pull away unless it's Brittany or Santana. So naturally, even though I know what the answer is going to be because I know you want help, I still feel the need to ask permission to touch you."

It was such a Rachel answer that Quinn felt a smile of her own tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Permission granted."

Rachel positioned herself in front of where Quinn sat on the counter and very, very carefully began to wipe the blood from Quinn's lips. A small sigh escaped them and Rachel recoiled slightly when the tell-tale scent of vodka hit her senses.

"Sorry," Quinn looked down, embarrassed, but Rachel shook her head.

"Don't be," she said softly, reaching out without thinking and placing her small hand on top of Quinn's. The blonde automatically pulled her hand away and Rachel might have felt hurt had it not been for the regret that immediately flooded Quinn's hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's not you; it's instinct. I just…I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head, cutting her off. "Stop apologizing, Quinn. We just had a conversation about how you don't appreciate being touched without warning and I did so anyway. I'm sorry– it's an instinctive thing for me, too. To reach out when people are in pain."

At that, Quinn once again felt the familiar burn of tears in her eyes but refused to let them fall. Rachel saw this and almost opened her mouth to offer the taller girl words of comfort but decided that Quinn would probably prefer if she didn't acknowledge it.

So instead, she went back to cleaning Quinn's face and Quinn went back to sitting in silence. When Rachel was finally satisfied that every trace of blood was gone, she put down the wipe and uncapped the bottle of antiseptic. She let several drops seep onto a cotton ball before turning back to Quinn.

"This is probably going to sting," she said apologetically.

"That's okay."

Still, the blonde winced as the wet cotton ball came into contact with the cut on her forehead and Rachel cringed with her. Knowing that the skin around the cut was now extra-sensitive, she was painstakingly gentle as she placed a band aid on Quinn's forehead.

"All done," she murmured, throwing away the dirty wipe and used cotton ball. "Stay here for a minute, okay?"

Quinn nodded and closed her eyes again, reveling in the silence.

Rachel returned to the bathroom several minutes later, holding a bundle of clothes in her arms. "I brought you something to change into. Not that there's anything wrong with the clothes that you're wearing but I couldn't help but notice that they're somewhat carrying the scent of alcohol and I didn't think you'd want to wake up to that smell in the morning so…"

"You're letting me stay?" Quinn asked incredulously.

"What? Of course! You didn't think I would…" Rachel shook her head. "Quinn, we may have a colorful history but that means nothing. You are not only my teammate but my friend and someone I care deeply about. You're staying here tonight."

Quinn lifted her head and looked into Rachel's anxious brown eyes. The little brunette, though slightly more relaxed now, was still clearly nervous about having Quinn in her house and Quinn couldn't blame her. Tears were making her eyes hurt and alcohol was making her brain swirl but she made an effort to focus on her words.

"Thank you. That means more to me than you know. And you're right; someone knocked a shot of vodka onto me so a change of clothes is definitely appreciated. Let's see what you brought."

Rachel cleared her throat, "I don't know what kind of sleeper you are so I brought a couple different outfits. Personally, I enjoy the feeling of the cool sheets against my legs but my upper body often gets cold at night. So, as you can see, it's usually sleep shorts and a sweatshirt for me. I have some of those for you. However, I've noticed that your body is always rather warm and add that to the alcohol, which also raises body temperature, I thought you might prefer a t-shirt instead. Your body won't be quite as hot in the morning though, so I have sweatpants that you can wear with the shirt." She took in Quinn's amused expression. "Am I wrong?"

Rachel very nearly always talked in paragraphs and while that was normally both exhausting and irritating to listen to, right now Quinn couldn't help but feel quietly charmed. She sucked in her cheeks to keep from smiling and

"Nope, you're right. Hand them over."

Rachel gave her the t-shirt and the sweatpants and studied Quinn's face as she did. It was no longer stained with blood, the band aid covered the cut on her forehead, and her bottom lip was only very slightly swollen. But the bruise beneath Quinn's eye was an angry shade of purple and Rachel wanted to cry looking at it.

Quinn felt more than saw Rachel looking at her wounds and caught the brunette's gaze. "Later," she said quietly. "I'll answer whatever questions you have, and I know you have a lot, but let me change first."

For the first time that night, Rachel looked – really, truly looked – into Quinn's eyes and was stunned by how immediately captivated she was. They sucked her in like two hazel whirlpools and all she could do was nod before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind her, leaving the blonde to change.

* * *

Five minutes later, Quinn emerged from the bathroom in the clothes Rachel had given her and holding her own in her hand.

"Is there somewhere I should put these? You were right; they smell like alcohol and I wouldn't want that to rub off anywhere..."

Rachel stood and took the clothes from Quinn. "I'll run downstairs and throw them in the dryer with a Bounce sheet. They'll still need to be genuinely washed tomorrow but the Bounce sheet should eliminate most of the smell. Enough so that you'll be able to wear these clothes again tomorrow, anyways."

"Thanks."

There was a brief pause.

"So…I guess I'll go do that now."

"Okay. Do you have any more of the wipes you were using earlier? I want to get this make-up off." Quinn's eyes were lined with black make-up, most of which had smudged while she was crying.

"Yes! Of course. The wipes should still be on the counter. There's a spare toothbrush in the right-hand cabinet that you're welcome to use. Toothpaste and mouth wash are already out and there's an array of different lotions under the sink…what?" Rachel trailed off as she once again caught sight of the amusement in Quinn's eyes.

"You ramble a lot."

Rachel lowered her head, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. I know you hate it."

"I don't hate it."

Rachel gave Quinn a look.

"Okay, I don't hate it _all_ the time."

"You don't?"

"No."

"Oh…what about right now?"

Quinn smiled, "I don't hate it right now."

Another pause.

"Alright! I'm going downstairs for real this time. Can I get you anything from the kitchen?"

"A glass of water, maybe?"

"Done. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you, Rachel."

For reasons she couldn't or perhaps didn't want to understand, something in Rachel fluttered at the sound of her given name coming from Quinn. She smiled softly at the blonde.

"You're welcome, Quinn."

After Rachel left, Quinn helped herself to the supplies in the brunette's bathroom. Brushing her teeth was easy. It was removing her make-up that soon proved to be a more difficult and painful task than she had expected.

Picking up one of the wipes, she carefully began to wipe the black smudges that surrounded her left eye. However, as soon as she tried to do the same to her right eye, she winced. The bruise she was sporting just beneath it was extremely sensitive and throbbed the second her fingers touched it. Quinn tried her best to wipe away the make-up but it only added more pain to the bruise. Pulling away from the mirror, she growled in frustration.

"Need any help?"

Quinn whirled around to find Rachel standing in the doorway, watching her struggle with sympathetic look on her face. Quinn took the look to mean that Rachel pitied her, and she sure as hell didn't need anyone's pity.

"I don't need your help, Berry," she sneered, but as soon as she saw the hurt flicker across Rachel's face as the shorter girl took a step back, Quinn regretted lashing out.

"I didn't mean that. It's instinct. I'm just mad and frustrated and I thought you..." Quinn took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Rachel pointed to the counter. "Sit, Fabray," she ordered. Quinn sat and once they had resumed their earlier position, Rachel took the wipe from Quinn's hand and very, very gently began to wipe away the black smears. It hurt every time Rachel's fingers grazed her bruise but Quinn was grateful for the help and bit her lip to keep from wincing.

Rachel could see that the blonde was in pain and did her best to avoid touching the swollen bruise. Still, she reflexively winced when the blonde sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Quinn said through gritted teeth. "It's not your fault."

Rachel continued to wipe away the smudged make-up.

"Why are you wearing so much make-up? You're so pretty, Quinn, you really don't need it." Quinn didn't know how to respond to that comment and was relieved when Rachel kept talking, "I found your phone in your jacket pocket and took it out before I put your clothes in the dryer," she told her. Then, looking guilty, she said, "I didn't mean to hit the home button but I accidentally did and I feel obligated to inform you that you have several missed calls from your mother and what looks to be at least 15 texts from Santana."

Quinn sighed but didn't look surprised. "Do you mind if I call them?"

"Not at all. You're make-up free. Do you want me to...should I leave?"

"No. You can stay."

The two girls walked into Rachel's room and Quinn picked up her phone, guilt flooding over her as she read Santana's panicked messages.

"Oh, Quinn!" Rachel's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I have the water you asked for."

Quinn looked over and saw two glasses of water on Rachel's desk. Rachel was taken back when Quinn immediately whipped around to face her.

"Are you sad?"

"What do you mean?"

"There are two glasses of water. I only asked for one which means one must be for you and you always drink a glass of water when you're sad."

"I…" Rachel was stunned into silence. She didn't realize that Quinn had ever paid much attention to anything she said before their somewhat friendship.

Quinn's eyes softened as she looked at the brunette. "I listen to you, Rachel," she confirmed. "Are you sad?"

_I listen to you, Rachel_. The brunette decided to ponder that admission later and shook her head, "No. Well, not exactly. You're sad, Quinn, and I always find that when you're upset, I am, too."

"Really? You're sad just because I am?"

Rachel gave her a tiny shrug and smiled. Quinn took a moment to store the conversation to her memory before smiling back at Rachel.

"I'll call Mom first," she said. "San will be a lot worse and I'm not quite ready for the massive guilt-trip she's going to pull."

Rachel winced sympathetically as Quinn dialed her mother's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Mom? Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier and I'm sorry I left…no, Mom, please don't feel bad. Don't cry. I left because I needed space and…no, it wasn't because of you. Of course it wasn't because of you. I promise. There's nothing you could have done. I'm okay and...hmm? No, I'm not at San's. I'm at Rachel's house…yes, the tiny one from glee," Quinn winked at Rachel. "I'll be home tomorrow but you know how San is so I'll probably have to go see her first before I come home…no, its okay, you should get some sleep…don't worry, I'm about to call her…okay. I love you, too, Mommy. Bye."

Quinn hung up and sighed, then looked at Rachel with a weary expression. "This next call is probably – no, it's definitely going to be loud. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Quinn," Rachel said. "My dads are away for the weekend so you don't have to worry about waking them up. As for me, I'm not a stranger to Santana; I know that she's prone to being loud when she's upset."

Quinn snorted, "Trust me, you don't know the half of it. Listen to this." She pressed the call button and held her phone to her ear only long enough for it to ring. As soon as Santana answered, Quinn pulled the phone away and held it at a distance.

"_Where the fuck have you been, bitch! Are you aware that it's 2:30am? You left Puck's hours ago. Hours! You better have a good ass reason for not texting me back, because I have been losing my god damn mind. Not to mention Britts is completely freaked the fuck out, so you better fix that shit ASAP. You know how she gets when she doesn't know if you're okay!"_

As Santana yelled through the phone, Rachel's jaw dropped open at the sheer volume of Santana's voice and Quinn mouthed, 'Told you so.' After Santana's ranting died down to a reasonable volume, Quinn felt safe enough to put the phone back to her ear.

"Are you done now?"

"_Depends. Are you ready to explain yourself, you inconsiderate bitch?"_

Despite what she was about to say, Quinn smiled. Passive-aggressive Santana was a pain to deal with but it always meant that the other girl was more worried than she was mad.

"Yes. I'm sorry, S. I know I told you I would text as soon as I got home but I walked in and my dad was there and…things got bad."

At this, Rachel's eyes widened. She knew that Quinn's mother had kicked out and divorced Quinn's father after the woman had come to her senses. She also knew that Russel Fabray had zero tolerance when it came to people challenging him and things not going his way. Rachel knew this and suddenly, looking at the bruise on Quinn's face, her blood ran cold.

Quinn watched Rachel work it out and when the shorter girl's horrified gaze fell on her, Quinn's eyes shot to the floor.

After 15 seconds of silence, Santana's voice came through the phone again.

"_Q? Are you…did he hurt you?"_

Tears filled Quinn's eyes as she heard the true fear in her best friend's voice. Rachel saw this and ran to the bathroom to get a box a tissues. She passed one to Quinn and the blonde took it gratefully, wiping her eyes.

"I'm okay, San. I'll explain everything tomorrow. Please trust me. You know I would tell you in a heartbeat if something was seriously wrong. But it's over and done with and I promise I'm as fine as I'm capable of being right now."

"_What do I need to brace Britts for? Straight-up, Q."_

Quinn winced. Santana wouldn't take it well but knowing she had no choice but to be honest with her, she said, "A couple red marks on my neck, a cut on my forehead, and a bruise under my right eye."

There was a long pause before Santana spoke again and when she did, Quinn could tell that the other girl had just forced herself to choke back tears.

"_Where are you?"_

"Rachel's house."

Another pause.

"_**Rachel**__ Rachel?"_

"Do we know any others? Look," Quinn said softly. "I know I could've gone to your house but you have B and I couldn't let her see me the way I was when I showed up at Rachel's. It would've killed her and honestly, S, it would have killed you, too."

"_Quinn…"_ Santana rarely used her full name and it was just another thing that told Quinn just how frightened the other girl was. Another wave of guilt crashed over her.

"Rachel's got me, San. I'm okay."

Rachel swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat while listening to Quinn's end of the conversation.

"_Tell the midget that me and Britts are coming over in the morning."_

Quinn held the phone away, covered the ear piece, and turned to Rachel, "Santana wants to come over tomorrow." Rachel looked alarmed but Quinn smiled reassuringly, "It's not to do anything to you. I know it sounds unbelievable because it's Santana and she's so scary and tough but…you don't know how much this kind of thing scares her, Rachel. She probably just wants to thank you for taking care of me. She'll do it in a super Santana way and bitch the whole time but it'll be genuine. Is that okay?"

Rachel had been terrified from the second she had seen Quinn's injuries. She had never really considered that perhaps it was even worse for Santana, knowing that her best friend was hurt and not being able to do anything about it. With that thought in mind, she said, "Of course, Quinn. I assume Brittany will be with her?" Quinn nodded. "Please tell her that they're both welcome here."

"Thank you," Quinn murmured before picking up her phone again. "San? We're good for tomorrow. Is B okay?"

"_She's fine now that she knows you're okay but she wants to hear your voice so I'm giving the phone to her."_

"Alright."

"_Hi, Q. Are you really okay?"_

"I'm all good, Britts."

"_Promise?"_

"Pinky promise. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Quinn lowered her voice, "Keep an eye on San. You know how she gets. Try your best to get her to sleep, even if it's only for a couple hours."

"_Got it and on it. We're both super scared but I'm glad you're okay. I love you, Q."_

"I love you, too, B. Give San the phone again, will you, so I can say bye to her."

"_Will do. See you tomorrow, Q. Say hi to Rachel for me! Here's San."_

There was a brief pause while Santana got back on the phone.

"_Thanks for talking to her."_

"_De nada_ for our girl. You good, San?"

"_Not really but I'll live. Are __**you**__ good?"_

"Not really but Rachel's here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, you will. Love you and all that mushy shit."

"Yeah, yeah. _Te amo_, bitch."

* * *

Quinn hung up with a smile that quickly faded when she turned and found Rachel hastily wiping tears from her eyes.

"Rachel? Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Rachel swiped away the last couple tears from her face, not wanting to Quinn to see how much the words _Not really but Rachel's here_ had meant to her. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me. Are you okay, Quinn?"

Quinn sighed, "No but yes. Do you have a guest room I should use? I know I said I'd answer your questions tonight but I don't know if I can. I'm exhausted. Would you be okay with talking tomorrow?"

Rachel took in the look on Quinn's face. The taller girl looked not only physically drained but emotionally drained as well.

"Quinn, don't be silly. You're staying with me in my room and we don't have to talk at all." Rachel saw uncertainty flash through Quinn's eyes and again remembered how Quinn was about her personal space. She scrambled to say, "Of course, you don't have to stay in here with me. I just figured that maybe you'd want…but of course, we have a guest bedroom you're welcome to sleep in."

"No! No. I mean," Quinn took a deep breath. "You're right. I don't think I can be alone tonight. If it's alright with you, I'd like to sleep in here."

After a quick discussion on who would take which side of the bed, the two girls got under the covers and laid next to each other in the dark. After several minutes of silence, Quinn spoke.

"We were at a party at Puck's," she said in a tone of voice that Rachel had never heard from her before. "I wasn't in the mood to be there but San and Britts wanted to go and I always go with them when they party, even if it's just to keep an eye on them. I drank not really because I wanted to but because I was there. After everyone started to get sloppy, I knew the party would be breaking up soon so I told San I was leaving. I knew she and B would be okay getting home and I promised her I would text her as soon as I was back at my house. I was drunk but not wasted. I got home okay and as soon as I walked in the front door, I knew something was wrong. I could just feel that something was off. That's when I heard the yelling."

Quinn's voice hitched and Rachel spoke through the darkness.

"Can I hold your hand, Quinn?"

Quinn's hand snaked through the sheets and found Rachel's. Rachel laced their fingers together and squeezed the blonde's hand, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"I ran upstairs as fast as I could and got to my mom's bedroom just in time to see my dad swing his arm back. Before he could hit her, I threw myself into his body and knocked him over. He grabbed my neck and shoved me away. My forehead hit the side of the bed. My mom tried to stop him but he hit me before she could do anything…"

_Quinn flew back after her father's hand struck her. Her entire body was in pain and the area just below her right eye was burning, but she slowly staggered to her feet. Her mother rushed to her side and helped her up._

"_Get the fuck out," Quinn told her father in a low tone of voice._

_Russel laughed scornfully. "Who are you to tell me to get out of my own house, little girl? Especially after I kicked you out."_

_Quinn opened her mouth but Judy spoke before she could. The older woman walked up to Quinn's father until they were face-to-face._

"_Russel, this is not your house. It's mine and it's Quinn's. You made decisions for me for 23 years but not anymore. I'm done cowering behind you. We are no longer married. This is no longer your home. Get out of this house." She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in closer, "I don't ever want to see you again and I swear to God if you ever come near Quinn again, I will kill you."_

_Russel was obviously drunk but even he could see the ice in his ex-wife's eyes and understood by her tone of voice that she was not bluffing. He pushed past Judy, muttering, "Fuck you," before he stopped in front of Quinn._

"_You're weak and worthless and you mean nothing to me. You're a pathetic excuse for a daughter. Don't ever associate yourself with my name again." With that, he left the room and several moments later, Quinn heard the front door slam shut.  
_

_As soon as she made sure that her mother was okay, she left. She couldn't be in that house that was full of memories of her father, a man who she had always loved and a man who she had just found out had never loved her. Not really._

_She was drunk and couldn't drive but she didn't care. Maybe walking would take her mind off of what had just happened, or at least distract her from the pain that scorched her body. So she walked and walked without a set destination in mind until finally, her feet stopped._

_Right in front of Rachel Berry's house._

As Quinn finished speaking, tears poured out of her eyes. She had hated her father for a long, long time but deep down was still the little girl who had always wanted nothing more than to make her daddy proud. Now she knew that she never had and never would.

Rachel's heart broke hearing Quinn's story and watching her cry. She tugged Quinn into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around the blonde. Quinn let out a sob and cried into Rachel in a way she hadn't since the day she had given up Beth. Rachel ran her fingers through Quinn's hair and whispered soothing words of comfort until Quinn pulled away.

She sucked in a shuddering breath and tried to smile at Rachel. "Fun Saturday night, right?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Rachel, who had never known anything less than having two incredibly loving fathers, spoke honestly, "Well, it's not what I thought it'd be but I wouldn't change it. I am so, so very sorry you that you had to suffer through that tonight, Quinn, and I can't imagine the pain you must be feeling. I don't know what made you come here but I'm so glad you did."

They got back under the covers and after a few minutes, Quinn turned to face Rachel.

"I came became I know you care," she whispered, a single tearing rolling down her face because it was true – no matter what Quinn did to Rachel, the shorter girl had always been there for her.

Rachel reached out and wiped the tear away.

"I always have and always will."

She took Quinn's hand again and together, they fell asleep.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Reviews are always very much appreciated. Thanks for reading, lovelies!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, everyone, for the sweet reviews! They make me happy and I'm glad to hear you guys are enjoying this so far.**

**This chapter is a little shorter than the last one but I've already started working on the next one.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When the sun began to stream through the window in Rachel's room the next morning, waking her up, she groaned and refused to open her eyes. It was Sunday morning and too early to care.

However, when she moved her foot and it collided with something under the sheets, her eyes flew open and she was met with the sight of a blonde-hair-everywhere, sleeping Quinn Fabray.

Rachel blinked several times as the previous night's events came slowly flooding back to her. Quinn showing up at her door, bruised and bloody. A long phone call to Santana. Listening to Quinn's horrifying story, and holding Quinn in her arms while the cheerleader cried her eyes out.

As she gazed at Quinn's sleeping form, Rachel exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Her eyes swept over the purple bruise that stood out terrifically against Quinn's porcelain skin and Rachel felt crushed with sadness. She couldn't even begin to imagine the physical and emotional pain the blonde must have gone through the night before.

Quinn could be a raging bitch, yes – but when she was sleeping, she could pass for a princess. A stray strand of blonde hair had flopped onto her face and fluttered every time Quinn breathed out. The expression on her face was peaceful, untroubled, and serene.

Rachel quietly removed herself from the bed, careful not to wake Quinn, and walked into the bathroom, softly shutting the door behind her. She went through a muted version of her daily routine – brushing her teeth but skipping the floss. Washing her face and leaving it clean, instead of applying her usual amount of make-up. She threw her hair into a sloppy ponytail and, when she walked back into her room, found Quinn sitting up and yawning.

Quinn had stirred at the sound of the bathroom door closing. When her eyes were met with the harsh sunlight coming through the window, she had thrown her arms over her face to block it out only to cry out in pain when her hand hit the bruise beneath her eye. She sat up and experimentally touched the sore spot, immediately pulling her fingers away and hissing through her teeth when the bruise exploded with dull pain.

When Rachel emerged from the bathroom, Quinn's head snapped up and she couldn't bite back the smile that blossomed on her lips. Rachel was still in her sleep shorts and sweatshirt, and added to her loose ponytail; Quinn didn't think she'd ever seen her look quite so casual and relaxed.

Rachel, for her part, was having similar thoughts. As she took in Quinn's messy hair, drowsy smile, and make-up free face, she was stunned. She had seen Quinn with full-blown make-up, elegant hair, and wearing a prom dress but as Rachel looked at the girl sitting in the middle of her sheets, wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, she realized that Quinn didn't need the hair, make-up, and dress. The blonde was naturally and effortlessly beautiful, and it momentarily took her breath away.

"Hi," Quinn said softly, unsure of what to expect from Rachel now that it was morning and she was no longer a crying wreck. She was relieved when the brunette simply smiled and joined her on the bed.

"Hi, yourself," Rachel replied. "Did you sleep okay?"

Quinn nodded, "I did, believe it or not. Did you?"

"I did, as well. Do you know what time we should expect Santana and Brittany?"

"No, I'll text San," Quinn sighed, reaching for her phone and plucking it off the table next to Rachel's bed. "Is it still alright for them to come over?"

"Of course."

Quinn narrowed her eyes and took in the way Rachel wouldn't make eye contact with her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Rachel forced herself to look into Quinn's eyes and sighed when she saw the concern in them, "Okay. If you must know, I'm a little nervous."

"About?"

Rachel looked down, embarrassed, and Quinn saw right through her.

"You're nervous about Santana and Brittany coming over."

"To some degree, that's part of it, yes," Rachel answered honestly. "It's not that I'm scared for my safety or anything like that; though granted, there was once I time I might have been. It's more just the fact that…well, I know that you and I are kind-of friends and Brittany has never been anything but sweet to me and even Santana's not that bad anymore, despite her always being slightly terrifying in general. I know you three are my teammates and also maybe to some extent my friends – but you're also Quinn and Santana and Brittany."

To anyone else, it might have sounded strange but Quinn completely understood Rachel's hesitance. She was very aware that her name held a double standard at William McKinley High School and that the students saw her in two different ways; soft-spoken Quinn Fabray who was in glee club and gave up her child, and Head Cheerio Quinn Fabray, the icy blonde that everyone looked at in fear.

She reached out and delicately placed her hand on top of Rachel's knee. "Look at me," she commanded. Rachel looked up and Quinn softened her voice as she said, "You have nothing to worry about. I was telling you the truth last night when I said that San is coming over here to thank you. Brittany would never hurt you and after this, Santana won't either." She took a deep breath, "And neither will I."

With that, Quinn released Rachel's hand and began to type out a text to Santana as Rachel slowly leaned back against her pillows and replayed Quinn's words in her head.

It was one thing to have the blonde show up at her door in the middle of the night. It was another to hold Quinn in her arms while the other girl broke down and sobbed. But it was an entirely different level of feelings to hear Quinn tell her that she would never hurt her again. Of course, Rachel had been aware for awhile that Quinn's feelings about her were changing. The blonde wasn't mean or cruel anymore, and instead of outright annoyance, she had begun to treat Rachel with the exasperated tolerance a person would treat a disobedient puppy with.

Still, Rachel was incredibly touched and it took a moment before she had control over her emotions again and could speak.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Quinn looked at Rachel and smiled, "Of course. San and Britts should be here in about an hour. Is that okay?"

"That's fine and actually gives me the perfect segue into my question." Rachel paused before saying, "I guess I'm just wondering what I should prepare myself for when they get here."

"Prepare yourself for?"

"Well, I can't imagine they're going to react well when they see…"

She trailed off, gesturing to Quinn's face with a sad smile, and Quinn realized what Rachel _wasn't_ saying and what the girl was hinting at – that she was worried, not for herself but for Quinn, about how Santana and Brittany would react to seeing her injuries. It was her subtle way of telling Quinn that _she_ should prepare herself for their reactions, and that could only mean one thing.

"How bad does it look?" she asked quietly. "Be honest."

"I…" Rachel hesitated, but forced herself to answer truthfully. "It doesn't look good, Quinn. I'm so sorry."

Quinn slowly crawled off the bed and walked into the bathroom, bracing herself before she looked into the mirror.

Immediately, she could see why Rachel was so concerned. She carefully removed the band aid from her forehead, needing to see all of the damage together. The marks on her neck had faded slightly, but were still visible. The gash on her forehead from hitting her mother's bed was bright red and about an inch long but it was still tame compared to the glaring, dark purple bruise under her eye.

"You could always cover it with make-up," Rachel's voice rang out from behind her as the brunette stepped into the bathroom and stood next to Quinn, looking into the mirror. "But honestly, I don't think you should right now. At school, yes. Or even later today. But not with Santana and Brittany."

Quinn bit her lip, knowing that Rachel was right. "Brittany's going to be upset," she said, unable to look at her reflection anymore and turning away from the mirror. "But San's the one who will cry and, I'm sorry to say this and I promise what I said earlier about her is still true, but she'll probably be slightly bitchier than usual because she hates crying in front of people."

Rachel honestly couldn't picture Santana crying but she could tell that Quinn was completely serious. So, she said, "I'll make sure Santana knows this as well, but I won't tell anyone anything about last night or today. If they ask, I'll tell my dads that you slept over and that Santana and Brittany were here this morning, but that's it. You can trust me, Quinn."

"I know I can. Thank you, Rachel."

* * *

Quinn sat at the table in the kitchen as she watched Rachel move around the room, fixing them both a cup of coffee.

"Shouldn't we wait for Santana and Brittany?" the brunette had asked but Quinn shook her head.

"No. San will be too upset to eat or drink anything, especially after she sees me. B doesn't like coffee. You could offer her hot chocolate if it makes you feel better, but she probably won't take it. She'll be too busy worrying about Santana worrying about me."

Rachel took two mugs out of the dishwasher and slowly poured the hot, brown liquid into them. She brought them over to the table, where she had already laid out sugar and milk. Taking a seat across from Quinn, she carefully slid one of the mugs in her direction.

"Thanks."

There was a pause in conversation as Rachel poured soy milk into her coffee, Quinn poured regular milk into hers, and they both put in a generous amount of sugar.

"You know," Rachel mused as she sat back in her chair, "I've tried since sixth grade to figure out the dynamic of your friendship with Santana and Brittany but I always find myself as a loss."

Quinn tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Well, watching the three of you interact with one another is rather interesting. One might assume just by looking at you together that you're in charge but I get the feeling that's not always the case. Quite a few times I've watched Brittany put a stop to arguments between you and Santana and you two always listen to her. I've seen you and Santana fight viciously before but you also treat each other with very exasperated fondness. You're both so patient with Brittany, and then of course there's the romantic feelings shared between Santana and Brittany…it's all very perplexing and intriguing to watch."

Quinn grinned because paragraph!Rachel was growing on her. "It sounds like you've watched us a lot," she teased.

Rachel shrugged, "I have to do _something_ when other people sing in glee."

Quinn laughed and Rachel bit back a smile. Quinn, in all her glacial beauty, so often held herself in a _don't look at me, don't touch me, don't mess with me_ way but right in front of Rachel's eyes, the ice queen was melting.

The blonde took a sip of coffee and pondered Rachel's assessments of her friendship with Santana and Brittany. "You know most of us met in sixth grade," she said, indicating the kids in their grade who had all started middle school together and Rachel nodded. "But I met San and Britts in kindergarten. Santana and I clicked immediately and it didn't take long for us to pick up Brittany. It's always been as easy as breathing with them. You're right; a lot of the time, I think people automatically assume I'm in charge, and that's true to an extent. But Britts is our world. Santana and I will listen to her forever."

Rachel smiled as Quinn continued, "I love Santana so much it knocks the air out of my lungs but she's easily one of the most infuriating people I know. B has always said that San is fire and I'm ice, which is honestly kind of perfect if you think about it."

Rachel nodded in agreement, "Fire and ice. It's an incredibly simple yet scarily accurate description. What does that leave Brittany as in the equation?

"Earth," Quinn grinned, "because she keeps us grounded."

Rachel laughed at the pun and Quinn winked at her. Neither of them was oblivious to how easy it was to relax around each other like this but they didn't get time to dwell on it because at that moment, the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Santana and Brittany."

Rachel didn't miss the way Quinn's tone of voice changed. The blonde sounded almost nervous.

"Are you okay?" she asked, taking Quinn's hand and squeezing it.

Quinn squeezed back and nodded, "I'm okay. A little apprehensive but they're going to see me either way so it may as well be now."

They walked to the front door and Quinn looked back at Rachel, who gave her an encouraging and reassuring smile. Feeling comforted, she sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.

* * *

**The night before…**

_After Santana hung up with Quinn, she had burst into tears. She hated crying, especially in front of Brittany because she knew it upset the blonde, but she couldn't hold back like she usually did._

"_I knew I shouldn't have let her leave without us," she said miserably, wiping tears from her cheeks as more fell from her eyes. "I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid, and selfish. Quinn doesn't fucking deserve this. She's taken so much shit from her dad and so much shit from the world and now this happens? It's so unfair. So fucking unfair."_

_Brittany had tugged Santana into her lap and held the brunette in her arms as she cried. She pressed a kiss to Santana's forehead as Santana said, "I can't stand it when she gets hurt, Britts."_

"_I know, San. I hate it, too. But Q's alive and okay and safe with Rachel."_

"_I know. But still, B. She's hurt and I can't do anything about it."_

"_You can, San. You can sleep because Quinn wants you to and you can be there for her tomorrow. She's okay and she'll be even better in the morning when we go see her. Rachel's taking care of her tonight."  
_

"_Yeah, speaking of, what the fuck? Q at Berry's house? I know they're trying to be friends or whatever now that Q has toned down her bitch-dial but still."_

_Brittany grinned at Santana. "I think Q and Rachel totally have the potential to be best friends if they try hard enough. They're kind of like us, you know. You and Rachel are both tiny and brunette and loud. Me and Q are tall, blonde, and quiet. But it works. We're all, like, two of a kind in pairs and four of a kind as a whole."_

"_I guess so," Santana said, slightly disgruntled about being paired off with Rachel but she smiled because Brittany was always almost scarily right and this was no exception. "Can you imagine if Q and Rachel ever got together? I think the world would implode."_

_Brittany beamed and pulled Santana into a sweet kiss._

"_Just remember that I totally called it."_

* * *

Brittany took one look at Quinn's face and wanted to cry. But she couldn't because Santana was already on edge and it would only make things worse. So instead, she threw herself into Quinn's arms as she said in a whirlwind of words, "I love you, Q. I love you so much and I'm so sorry this happened to you and I'm totally sure your face hurts but don't be sad because you still look like your normal super pretty self but now you also look like a total warrior princess. I'm so glad you're okay."

Quinn hugged Brittany tightly. "I love you too, B, and I'm sorry you were scared but you're right – now I'm a warrior princess and I promise I'm okay." She lowered her voice to a whisper that only Brittany could hear and said, "Is San okay?"

"Lightweight code red," Brittany whispered back. "She slept last night after you called but she hasn't touched food since yesterday. I tried to get her to eat but…"

Quinn pulled back and looked at the genuine distress swirling in Brittany's blue eyes "I'll fix it," she murmured, kissing the girl's cheek. She then released her and Brittany immediately flung herself at Rachel.

"Rachel!"

"Hello, Brittany," Rachel said, unable to stop herself from grinning as Brittany nearly picked her up in the enthusiasm of the hug. It was impossible not to smile when she was around the sweet, happy cheerleader.

Quinn was left to face Santana, who still stood outside on Rachel's front porch.

"Hi, S."

Santana finally looked up. The marks she saw were brutal and she felt sick as she studied her best friend's face.

"Can I touch your face, Q?"

Rachel untangled herself from Brittany. She and the taller girl watched as Quinn nodded her consent and Santana very gently ran her fingertips down the length of Quinn's bruised cheekbone.

Tears welled up in Santana's eyes as she imagined the unbearable pain Quinn must have gone through the night before and internally cursed herself – again – for letting Quinn leave the party alone.

Quinn, of course, immediately saw what Santana was doing. They had been friends for 10 years. "Stop it," she demanded.

"Stop what?"

"Blaming yourself. I'm a big girl, San. It was my choice to go home by myself and you couldn't have stopped me even if you tried."

"But–"

"No! You had Brittany and she's top priority. She always, always comes first. My dad still would have been at my house even if you had been there and I still would have run into him to protect my mom and he still would have hit me." The tears in Santana's eyes rained down on her cheeks and Quinn softened her voice as she said, "You can't protect me every second of the day, San. But look at me?"

Santana looked at her best friend.

"I'm alive. I'm breathing. Sure, I'm a little beat up but I'm here and I'm talking to you and I'm okay. And now, you're going to give me a hug because I know you're really just mad that Rachel got to cuddle me last night instead of you."

Santana laughed as she wiped away her tears and threw her arms around Quinn, who hugged her as tightly as she could.

"I know how scared you must have been last night and I'm sorry," Quinn murmured. "I love you."

"You're a bitch but I love you, too."

Rachel, who felt tears of her own stinging her eyes, glanced at Brittany. The tall blonde was watching her two best friends hug with a tremendous amount of affection shining in her sweet blue eyes. She turned to look at Rachel and smiled.

"Sorry we kind of momentarily took over, Rachel," she said. "Thanks for looking out for our bestie last night; it was really cool of you to take care of Q the way you did."

"Not a problem, Brittany."

"Yeah, speaking of," Santana said as she finally released her hold on Quinn. "Let's head inside, midget. You and I gots some serious talking to do, not to mention it's cold as shit and I'm still technically outside."

"Oh…" Rachel immediately looked nervous. "Um, in that case, please come in. Santana, you and I can go to the living room, which is down the hall and to the right. Brittany, the kitchen is directly ahead. I left out the fixings for hot chocolate."

"Yay, hot chocolate!"

"Sounds good, midge. I'll meet you on the couch after you say whatever you're about to say to my captain that you're clearly not going to say while me and Britts are here."

Rachel's jaw dropped open.

"How did you –"

"Bitch, please. You have _I'm nervous about my kind-of friend's friends being here and now one of them wants to talk to me alone and what if she kills me_ written all over your tiny face. But don't worry, I promise no bloodshed."

Rachel's eyes bulged as Brittany intervened, "Stop it, San. You're scaring her. Go wait for Rachel in the living room. Rachel, I promise San will be nice because if she's not, she won't get any sweet lady sex later."

"Britts! Overshare!"

Rachel gaped at them, and Quinn face-palmed, groaning. _These_ were her best friends.

"I'm serious, San. Don't be mean."

Santana threw her arms into the air. "Jesus! I won't! _Ay dios mío_. I'll be in the living room, Berry."

With that, she flounced down the hall and disappeared. Brittany turned to Quinn and Rachel and winked at them.

"She's so whipped," she said, grinning. "I know you two have to talk so I'll meet you in the kitchen, Q. Thanks for leaving out the hot chocolate, Rachel!"

Brittany skipped away and Rachel looked at Quinn.

"Did that really just happen?"

Quinn laughed, "Yep. Sorry, Rach. If you're going to be friends with me, you get the insanity that is Santana and Brittany, too – no, pause. Britts is perfect. San is the insane one. But you get what I'm saying."

Rachel laughed with her but Quinn's words touched her heart. "Does that mean we're friends, then?" she asked softly. "For real?"

Quinn smiled. "For real," she said, reaching out and affectionately tugging Rachel's ponytail. "Now, I know you're nervous about talking to San but don't be. I promise she won't be mean. Go hear her out and soon, you and her will be joining me and Britts in the kitchen. You'll see."

"Okay," Rachel took a deep breath. "Thank you, Quinn."

Quinn caught the look in Rachel's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I just can't believe that I have the three most popular girls at school at my house. One of them is waiting for me in the living room, one of them is drinking hot chocolate in my kitchen, and one of them, who just made our friendship official, is smiling at me in the hallway."

Quinn pulled Rachel into a gentle hug and smiled as she whispered, "Get used to it."

* * *

**I hope this is living up to everyone's expectations. I know it's not immediate Faberry but it will get the eventually, I promise. Slow and steady wins the race.**

**Reviews are always very appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for everyone who has read this, and a special thanks to those of you who took time to write reviews! You guys have all been very sweet and I appreciate your feedback immensely.**

**Again, this is slightly shorter than the first chapter but it's 11:20pm and I'm tired.**

**I hope this lives up to the expectations you guys had for Rachel and Santana's talk!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Rachel walked into her living room and found Santana sitting on the couch, gazing out the window with a distant look playing on her delicate features. Unsure of what to do or say, she simply took a seat on the armchair that sat across from the couch and waited anxiously for Santana to address her.

While she waited, Rachel let her thoughts drift to the conversation she had just had with Quinn. Finally, finally, they were friends. _Real_ friends. It was something Rachel had craved for years. Even back when Quinn had been a relentless bully, making Rachel's life miserable, Rachel had still always desperately wanted a friendship with the elusive blonde.

Now, finally, she had it. As that fact wrapped itself around Rachel's brain, she smiled.

Finally, Santana turned away from the window and Rachel was shocked by the deep amount of sadness she saw in the cheerleader's eyes. She immediately wanted to reach out and comfort her but she held back because this was Santana she was dealing with, and being with Santana was not unlike being with a snake; you never knew what would set her off and cause her to strike.

"I met Quinn when I was five years old," Santana said quietly, and Rachel could tell that she was faraway and reliving a memory. "I was so scared that the other kids were going to be mean to me that I figured if I scared them all away, they wouldn't bother me. So I glared them away and they all kept their distance – except for Quinn. She walked right up to me, in all her blonde beauty, and told me that she would kick me if I glared at her one more time."

Rachel snorted because she could picture it perfectly and Santana smiled wryly, "Typical we would bond over that, right? But that's how it happened. The second I stopped shooting daggers at her, she smiled at me and took my hand and never let go. A couple days later, we chased away a couple kids that were teasing Brittany and took her with us. It's been the three of us ever since."

"That's very sweet," Rachel murmured.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I knew from the very beginning that Q was different than anyone I'd ever met. She never invited us to her house. She rarely talked about her family. And even though she was an angel to me and Brittany, she was mean to every other person we met. I'm serious. It didn't just start when she met you, Rachel – it's been every single person and for as long as I've known her."

Rachel sat quietly as Santana continued, "It took me awhile to figure out why she was like that. It wasn't until I met her dad that things finally clicked and that didn't happen until we were 10 years old and in fifth grade. Literally. It took five years for me to meet Q's dad and the second I did, so many things finally made sense. Seeing the way her dad treated her, talking to her like she was an adult instead of just a kid, looking down at her with harsh, disapproving eyes. It was like seeing Quinn in a whole new light. The Quinn that I knew, _my_ Q, was confident and smart, sassy and sweet. But with her dad, she was silent, unsmiling, and obedient."

Tears filled Santana's eyes as she angrily shook her head, "I hated him from the second I met him. No matter what Quinn did, no matter how fucking hard she tried to please him; those disapproving eyes were always there, cold and full of contempt. But she never stopped trying. And that's when I realized why Quinn acted out so much with everyone else. It wasn't because being mean was something she enjoyed; it was out of anger. Pent-up anger that she couldn't let out at home for fear her dad would do something, so she took it out on everyone else."

Rachel felt her heart breaking but refused herself the right to cry.

"Hurting people has never made Q feel better about herself" Santana said, "but it's the only defense mechanism she has. By the time her mom came to her senses and kicked that bastard out of their lives, it was too late – Quinn's dad had caused some serious and permanent damage to her self-esteem. You don't know how fucking hard Britts and I have tried to change that but nothing we've ever done has worked. Q kind of hates herself and you have no idea how much it kills me that I can't fix that."

"It's not your job to fix her, Santana," Rachel said gently. "I know you're her best friend but deep down, I think you know that Quinn is the only person who can help herself. You shouldn't feel like you've failed her in any way whatsoever."

"I know that, Rachel. I do. And I know that she's been better since having Beth. But knowing doesn't make it any easier. It breaks my heart every day. Every single day seeing Quinn lash out at people and knowing that she hates herself for doing it but not being able to stop. I've tried to make up for it by protecting her but apparently I can't even do that."

The self-loathing in Santana's voice wrenched Rachel's heart. "Santana, stop," she said firmly, shaking her head. Abandoning all caution, she reached out and took Santana's hand, "I have to admit that in the past, at times, I've felt like you and Quinn were constantly at each other's throats and trying to tear each other down. But that's only because I didn't understand your friendship and dynamic. I'm not saying that I do now – at least, not entirely – but you'd have to be blind not to see the pain that's in your eyes right now. You care so much about Quinn, and her and Brittany couldn't have a better person protecting them from the world."

Santana gazed into Rachel's brown eyes and, seeing nothing but honesty and sincerity, she started to cry. Rachel didn't put her arms around her – they weren't there yet. But she held Santana's hand and didn't let go and Santana felt safe enough to lean her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"If it's any consolation and makes you feel any better," Rachel said softly, "you're not completely alone in your fight to make sure that they're okay. I know I'm tiny and can't do much when it comes to a physical fight. But I adore Brittany and if this weekend has proved anything, it's how deeply I care for Quinn. As not only their teammate but their friend, I'll always do whatever I can to shield them from hurt."

Santana lifted her head and looked at Rachel. The girl's face was determined and she had the same kind of ferocity searing in her eyes that was always there right before she sang.

"You know, Berry, I think you're a lot tougher than you let on."

Rachel smiled and shrugged as she said, "I've never been anything but myself."

"No, you haven't. And if you tell anyone I said this, I _will_ go all Lima Heights on your ass but…honestly, Rachel, I hope that never changes."

Rachel was stunned and if she hadn't seen the complete sincerity in Santana's dark eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. But Santana gave her a real smile, and Rachel couldn't stop herself from smiling back. Not a show smile, not an I _just got slushied and have to pretend I'm okay_ smile. Not even a red carpet smile.

A genuine, 100% Rachel Berry smile.

Santana, who had been making fun of Rachel's over-the-top smiles since sixth grade, immediately saw the difference. Rachel caught the way Santana was studying her and titled her head.

"What?" she asked.

"You should smile like that more often."

"Like what?"

"Like yourself."

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the kitchen…**

Quinn dropped five mini-marshmallows into a steaming mug of hot chocolate and placed it down in front of Brittany.

"Be careful, B, it's hot."

"Yummy! Thanks, bestie."

Quinn flopped down onto the chair across from Brittany and smiled as she watched the tall blonde blow into the mug, making the marshmallows float in circles. She strained her ears, trying to catch part of Santana and Rachel's conversation and frowned in frustration when she couldn't hear anything.

Brittany saw this and grinned, "It's no use, Q. San's smart. There's no way she'll talk loud enough for us to hear; not when she totally knows that you'll be trying to listen."

"I know. Damn her and her psychic Mexican third eye for knowing me so well." Brittany laughed and Quinn sighed, "What do you think she's saying to Rachel?"

"Honestly? You have to ask?"

Quinn shrugged, "You never know."

"Please. Q, you _always_ know when it comes to Santana. That's why you're the firefighter," Brittany said, and Quinn smiled.

The firefighter. It was something shared only between the two of them. Even when they were five years old, Brittany had known that her best friends were two very similar yet different people. Santana was feisty, loud, and outspoken; Quinn was cool, calm, and serene. They had two different ways of dealing with the world: Santana took it head-on and threw fire at every challenge and obstacle in her way, whereas Quinn glared at everyone and everything, her hazel eyes as cold as ice. They clashed terrifically, just as fire and ice should, but they also balanced each other out.

Brittany had started to call Quinn the firefighter soon after she realized that there were certain things about Santana that only Quinn could handle. Quinn, icy as she was, knew how to tame Santana's fire, calm her down, and she understood her in a way that Brittany knew she never would.

Santana, for her part, was completely unaware that the nickname even existed.

"Okay. Point taken. I know ultimately that she's thanking Rachel for taking care of me last night but that can't be all she's saying. If it was, she wouldn't have demanded a private audience with Rachel; she would've just said it in front of us, too. But she's not, which makes me nervous because now I know she's saying things to Rachel that she obviously can't say in front of me."

"Dial down your anxiety level a couple notches, Q. Straight-up? I think San is probably just telling Rachel how much you mean to her and how important it is that Rachel knows that. And, you know, now that you and Rachel are going to be friends, San probably also feels like she has to give Rachel the _hurt my best friend and I'll kill you_ talk."

"That's so unnecessary, though."

Brittany shrugged, "Maybe to you and me and Rachel. But's it's not to San, so please don't tease her about it later. You know how crazy she is about making sure that you and I are okay. Plus, no offense, but it'd be kind of super hypocritical of you to make fun of her for it when you do the exact same thing with protecting her. I promise things are going to be fine and if I'm wrong…well, actually, I'm never wrong. Not about this kind of thing."

Quinn grinned, "Every time I think I can't love you any more than I already do, you always prove me wrong. I've always known you were the smartest person I know, Britts, despite the ridiculous discrimination against our hair color."

"Right? Seriously. Blondes for the win!"

* * *

"So anyways, thanks for listening to all that sappy shit. I have just one more thing to say before ending this conversation that has been way to emotional for a Sunday morning."

Rachel almost sighed in relief as Santana's tone returned to normal. "Oh?" she said. "And what's that? If you're going to give me the _Quinn is my best friend and I will end you if you hurt her now that you two are friends_ talk, save it – you've kind of been giving our entire school that talk since sixth grade."

"Snap!" Santana laughed. "I hope you know what you're signing up for, Berry, because you're basically locking yourself into a buy-one, get-two-free contract."

"If you're implying that the three of you come as a package deal, I am well aware of the fact. You're Cheerios but you're also Snap, Crackle, and Pop."

"That is so…incredibly…true. Damn! Speaking of Cheerios, did you know that they have flavors? Britts is obviously Honey Nut, Q is Frosted, and I'm Cinnamon. You're not a Cheerio but if you were, you'd _so_ be Berry Burst." Rachel snorted and Santana grinned, "See? I can be punny, too."

"I can't believe you just used a Berry-related joke on me. Can you say lame?"

"I can't believe Quinn is actually considering adopting you from the pound. Can you say she's going to regret it?"

"You're just jealous that Quinn likes me better."

"Keep telling yourself that, Berry Burst."

* * *

"But Q, The Lion King has so many animals!"

"I know, B, but princesses are prettier to look at."

"Nala's kind of a princess."

"She's a lion! Doesn't count."

"Does, too!"

Santana and Rachel walked into the kitchen and Santana put her hand up, "Pause. Are you two seriously arguing about this?"

"S, please tell your girlfriend that the princess movies are far superior to any animal movie."

"But San, the animals are so cuddly! And please tell Q that Nala totally counts as a princess."

"She's a _lion_."

"I concur," Rachel piped up from behind Santana. "Lions count. Do you like The Lion King, Brittany?"

"It's my favorite movie!"

"It's one of my favorites, too! I own it! Do you want to watch it?"

"Lion King! Yes! Sorry San, we're not going home yet," Brittany squealed as she and Rachel took off, thundering down the stairs to where Rachel kept her massive DVD collection.

Santana groaned, "God, we'll never leave. Seriously? Of all the things you could've talked about it, you chose Disney movies?"

"She started it!" Quinn protested, and Santana shook her head, laughing silently. "Anyways, now that you're back, what'd you talk to Rachel about?"

"Nuh uh," Santana said, miming zipping her lips shut. "Classified information."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"Debatable."

Half an hour later, the four girls were settled down in Rachel's living room, watching The Lion King. Rachel, as it turned out, could quote the movie almost as well as Brittany could, and the two of them had a wonderful time claiming roles and saying the lines back and forth to each other. Rachel, of course, sang along to every song but she was so good that all the other three could really do was smile.

During _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_, Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and pulled her into her lap. Santana kissed her gently, completely content to gaze up at Brittany's sweet blue eyes and watch her sing along softly instead of look at the screen.

Both Quinn and Rachel smiled at the sight from across the room, where they sat together on the couch, and Rachel sighed, resting her head against Quinn's shoulder.

"You okay?" Quinn murmured.

"Completely. I just still can't believe this – the fact that you're all here."

Quinn smiled at the screen.

"Honestly, Rach? Right now, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

* * *

After the movie ended, Rachel and Quinn walked Santana and Brittany to the door.

"School tomorrow, Q. Think you'll be okay? Personally, I kind of hope someone comments on your face. It's been awhile since I've given a good ass-kicking."

Quinn laughed, "As much as I'd love to let you off your leash and watch the destruction that would be sure to ensue – and trust me, I really would enjoy watching – I think I'll be okay. But thanks, S."

"Thought so, but I'll be crossing my fingers anyways."

"Between you and me, I will be, too."

As this exchange went on, Brittany turned to Rachel and grinned, "Thanks again for taking such good care of Q this weekend, and also for letting us coming over, and also for listening to San talk, and also for inviting us to stay for the movie." She frowned, "That was probably totally a run-on sentence but I had a lot to say."

"Of course, Brittany. There's really no need to thank me."

"There kind of is, though. None of it may seem like a big deal to you, but all of it totally matters to me." She tugged the shorter girl into a hug and whispered, "I have a feeling we'll be hanging out a lot more starting now and I just want you to know that that makes me really happy."

"It makes me happy, too," Rachel murmured, squeezing Brittany tightly.

"Alright, Britts, break it up. Let me at the midget."

Brittany released Rachel and Santana took her place, gently hugging Rachel. "Don't forget what I said," she whispered. "Any of it. Got that, Berry Burst?"

"Message received, Cinnamon."

Santana pulled back and they both smiled; they understood each other.

"Are you staying here again tonight, Q?" Brittany asked as she hugged Quinn goodbye.

"No, I'm going home. Mom needs me. But I'll be back here soon and you know that means you will, too."

"Totally. I hope Rachel has princess movies, because I kind of owe you for making you watch Lion King all afternoon."

Quinn hugged Brittany tightly, "I'll watch whatever you want forever, Britts."

"I know you will. And San will watch whatever _both_ of us want forever."

"Because she's whipped."

"I heard that, bitch."

"You were supposed to."

"You'll get used to the fighting, Rach," Brittany grinned. "It's honestly like comforting background noise at this point."

A red car pulled up in front of Rachel's house and honked twice. Santana waved to the person driving and turned back to the others.

"That's us. Q, text me when you get home."

"Will do. Thanks for coming, S."

"_De nada_." She pulled Quinn into a quick hug before taking Brittany's hand and walking outside. "See you bitches tomorrow."

"Bye, Q! Bye, Rach!"

After they were gone, Rachel closed her front door and turned to face Quinn. "What time does your mom want you home?"

"Probably now. I'll call her."

"I'll be in the kitchen."

A few minutes later, Quinn walked into the kitchen and found Rachel washing the mugs from earlier.

"Sorry for leaving those out, I probably should have cleaned them."

"Nonsense. You're a guest, Quinn. When is your mom coming?"

"She's on her way now. I grabbed my clothes from the dryer." Quinn had stayed in the clothes that she had slept in, not wanting to put on her alcohol-scented clothes from the previous night. "I'll wash the sweats and the shirt tonight and bring them to you tomorrow."

"No rush."

They slipped into easy, mundane conversation about school and glee club until Quinn's mother honked from outside. Rachel stood up and walked Quinn to the door. She reached out to open it but Quinn's hand on her wrist stopped her from doing so. She turned to look into the blonde's hazel eyes.

Her hazel whirlpools.

"Thank you for this weekend, Rachel," Quinn said quietly. "I honestly don't know what I would have done if I hadn't come here."

Rachel swallowed down the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Of course, Quinn. I'm so glad that you felt safe enough to come to me."

"I always feel safe with you," Quinn whispered as she wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her into a tight hug. Rachel felt her heart racing as she hugged Quinn back, standing on her tip toes to do so.

When Quinn finally released Rachel, she smiled. "I'll text you," she promised as she walked out the door, and Rachel grinned, waving at the blonde.

Once Quinn's mother had pulled away from the curb, Rachel called her dads and they informed her that they'd be home from their weekend trip the next morning. She straightened up the living room, showered, made herself dinner, and was in the middle of reading a book in bed when her phone dinged with a text.

_**Thank you for being my safe haven this weekend.**_

When Quinn's phone vibrated several minutes later, she opened Rachel's text and saw seven words that played themselves like a song, over and over in her mind, until she fell asleep.

_Whenever you need me, I'll be here._

* * *

**And so ends Chapter 3! I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for reading and as always, reviews are much appreciated.  
**

**Chapter 4 coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, guys! Sorry for the delay. I had spring break and was on vacation for a week, and then I got super sick. But I'm all healthy now and spent the entire day writing this and chapters for my other story (Letters From Quinn, if you want to check it out).**

**Thanks for being so patient with me!**

* * *

When Quinn woke up the next morning, the enticing aroma of bacon filled her room. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she sniffed the air and smiled as she also caught a whiff of maple syrup. Her mom had obviously woken up early enough to make them a real breakfast, as opposed to the basic cereal they normally both went for on week days. She stumbled her way into the bathroom and sighed when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. The bruise on her face had only turned a darker shade of purple overnight and starkly contrasted with her ivory skin. She touched it lightly and winced when pain shot through her eye.

15 minutes later, as she got dressed, Quinn's nerves fluttered. She was incredibly anxious for how people at school would react to her face. She had tried her best to cover it with make-up but it was no use; the bruise stood out and was visible no matter what. The thought of people staring at her more than usual and knowing that Santana would be incredibly on edge all day already had the familiar feeling of anxiety settling itself in Quinn's stomach.

When she walked downstairs and into the kitchen, she was greeted with the sight of pancakes, bacon, and orange juice on the table. Judy Fabray looked up and beamed.

"Honey! I was just about to come up and see if you were awake. Look, I made us breakfast!"

"I can see that. What's the occasion?" Quinn asked as she sat down across from her.

"Oh, you know. I was awake and couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I may as well do the good-mom thing and cook."

Quinn laughed but her heart ached. Deep down, she knew that her mom still felt guilty about Saturday night and was trying to make it up to her. "Mom," she said gently, reaching across the table and taking Judy's hand. "You know I love you, right?"

Judy looked into her daughter's eyes and immediately saw that Quinn could tell how guilty she was but was letting her off the hook of having a conversation about it. She allowed herself one painful glance at the bruise on Quinn's face before she squeezed Quinn's hand and said, "I do know that, and I'm so grateful. I love you, too. Are you going to be okay at school today?"

Quinn nodded as she bit into a piece of bacon. "I'll be fine," she said. "I'm a little worried about San, though. I can't promise she'll behave."

Judy chuckled, "Why does that not surprise me? That girl wouldn't hesitate to punch the queen if she thought she was a threat to you."

"I know, right?" Quinn snorted. "And she thinks I'm over-protective!"

"You are. You're as bad as each other. But it's a good thing. I thank God every single day for blessing you with Santana and Brittany."

Quinn smiled.

"I do, too."

* * *

Lunchtime. Rachel was in the midst of putting her math book into her locker when the hallway grew significantly quiet and she knew without having to turn around what was happening.

The students of McKinley parted like the Red Sea as Quinn, Santana, and Brittany made their way through the crowd. It was the same ritual that happened every single day at the start of the hour-long lunch break. However, there was a slight difference that, after her weekend spent with them, Rachel was able to notice immediately. While normally it was Quinn that glared everyone's eyes away, that day it was Santana. In the past, Rachel might have automatically assumed that the Latina was having a bad day. Now she knew that she was doing it for Quinn.

Watching the three of them walk down the hall, it was impossible not to see why Brittany referred to her two best friends as fire and ice. When Quinn glared, the look in her eyes was glacial and literally caused people to freeze where they were standing. But Santana's dark eyes flashed dangerously and she looked not unlike an angry dragon – completely ready to scorch anyone who was foolish enough to cross her path.

Quinn caught sight of Rachel standing at her locker and smiled. She nudged Santana and tilted her head in Rachel's direction. Santana nodded, giving her consent, and the three cheerleaders veered right, walking directly up to the small brunette.

"Hey, you," Quinn said, reaching out and poking Rachel's stomach in greeting.

"Good morning, Quinn," Rachel replied, beaming. She turned to Santana and Brittany, giving them a winning smile. "Hello to you two, as well."

"Hi, Rach!"

"Do you have to beam like that all the time? Stop beaming. It's blinding me."

"San, be nice. Rachel's smile is pretty."

As Brittany chastised her girlfriend, Rachel was not unaware of the curious glances she was receiving from the rest of the students in the hall. They all knew that the four girls were in glee club together but to see them hanging out? Acting as if they were…friends? It was just as surreal for everyone else as it was for Rachel.

Quinn also took note of the stares they were attracting and elbowed Santana lightly. "Can you take care of the prying eyes, San? I'd rather not pull more attention to myself today than necessary."

"Right. On it." Santana whipped around and fixed the other students with a smoldering glare. Immediately, they all turned their heads and hastily busied themselves at their lockers. Turning back to the other girls, Santana grinned wickedly. "Taken care of, cap."

Quinn shook her head with silent laughter; watching the affect Santana had on people never failed to amuse her. Brittany just rolled her eyes at the two of them and focused her attention on Rachel.

"So Rach, are you doing anything tonight? Because I was thinking that we should all get together again and watch a princess movie. You and I totally owe San and Q for yesterday."

"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I mean, yes that sounds excellent and no I'm not busy!"

"Perfect! Q has a bunch of good movies so I was thinking maybe her place if she's okay with—"

"Heeyyy, look at that. My favorite Cheerio babes _and_ my hot Jew! Ssup, ladies?"

At the sound of Puck's voice, Quinn visibly stiffened. He hadn't seen her since his party on Saturday and the other three girls winced as the blonde took a deep breath and braced herself before turning around.

"Hey, Puck."

Puck's cocky, cheerful grin vanished as soon as he caught sight of Quinn's bruised eye. He felt his stomach drop and he took a step back, shock written all over his face.

"Quinn. Your eye. I don't – I don't understand." He swallowed hard and Quinn felt a needle of guilt stab her heart.

"I'm fine, Puck. It's nothing. Honestly."

"You didn't have that at the party."

"Noah, maybe now isn't the best time..." Rachel tried to interject but Puck ignored her.

"Where did the three of you go after you left?" he demanded.

"Puck, Rachel's right. This really isn't—"

"Wait. That's not right." He shook his head in confusion and cut Quinn off, speaking slowly as he turned to Santana and Brittany. "You two were there. You were still there. But Quinn wasn't…" He looked at Santana, his brown eyes widening in disbelief as realization flooded through him. "No. Tell me you didn't let her leave alone."

Santana couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze and that alone told him more than enough. At her silence, the look on Puck's face hardened.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Santana," he said in a low, dangerous tone of voice.

Quinn immediately stepped in front of Santana, effectively shielding the shorter girl. "Enough," she said firmly. "Stop it, Puck. Whatever you're going to say, don't. You have no right to blame Santana. I left on my own because I wanted to go home. It was my decision and there's nothing she or anyone else could have done to stop me."

"What? You said you went home? _Home_? Quinn, I swear to god, if that black eye if from your bastard father and Santana was stupid enough to let you leave by yourself—"

"Like you're so much better than me," Santana snarled from behind Quinn as she tried to push the blonde out of the way. "I didn't see you trying to stop her, asshole."

"Santana, please calm down. Noah, Quinn is right. Neither of you could have done anything to stop it from happening and it's very hypocritical of you to blame Santana when you didn't do anything to prevent Quinn from leaving, either."

"For fuck's sake, Rachel, you know it's different!"

"Q, get out of the way so I can beat this moron's ass."

"You guys, I really don't think you should—"

"You sure you wanna use the word beat in front of Quinn right now?" Puck sneered at Santana, who momentarily looked like she'd been slapped before she let out a furious shriek.

"You _fucking_ asshole—"

"Q, stop her NOW," Brittany commanded immediately. Quinn swiftly and effortlessly grabbed Santana as the shorter girl lunged for Puck, who knew that he knew he had gone too far, was scared shitless but jumped to protect an obviously horrified Rachel from getting caught in the fray. Quinn hooked her arms around Santana's waist and although Santana let out another angry growl, there wasn't much she could do to escape Quinn's grasp without hurting Quinn in the process.

Brittany turned to Santana, caught in Quinn's hold, and said, "You need to go cool off right now. No questions. Go." Santana glared murderously at Puck but she couldn't argue with Brittany. After hissing a low, "Fuck you," to Puck, she took off down the hall and Brittany looked at Rachel. "I know you're super freaked out. We'll explain all this later but can you go after her, please, and make sure she's okay and doesn't kill anyone?"

In any other moment, Rachel might have laughed at the wording but she saw that Brittany was completely serious so she nodded. "Of course," she said. She looked at Quinn. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Britts is right; someone has to go check on Santana and normally it would be me but I need to talk to Puck."

Rachel nodded again and hurriedly took off in the direction Santana had disappeared in. Quinn winced in dismay as she caught sight of everyone staring at them again but before she could say or do anything, Brittany said firmly, "I got this, Q. You and Puck need to talk so you two go do that somewhere else and I'll take care of damage control."

Quinn tugged Brittany into a quick hug. "Thanks, B. Make sure S is okay? And Rachel, too?"

"Will do, bestie." Brittany turned her gaze to Puck, who wanted nothing more than to look away but forced himself not to. He knew he had majorly fucked up but shit – Quinn was hurt and that made him so angry and so sad that he wanted to kick something. He looked into Brittany's blue eyes as she said, "Puck, I know that you only said all those mean things because you're just super worried about Q because she's your family but it totally wasn't fair for you to blame Santana or lash out like that."

His eyes filled with tears that he refused to let fall because he was Noah Puckerman, damn it. "I know, Britts. I'm sorry. I'll apologize to her later."

"Good." She gave him a hug. "Go ahead, guys. I'll see you in a bit."

With that, she turned away from them and began to confront the people who had been watching them, no doubt warning them not to gossip about it. Quinn smiled briefly; Brittany was nothing like her and Santana but she had a unique fear factor of her own, in that people were terrified of her purely by association. Sighing, Quinn finally focused her attention on Puck, who was desperately trying not to cry. Seeing this, she took his hand and led him down the hallway to an empty classroom. He immediately sank into a desk and put his face in his hands.

Quinn sat down at the desk next to him and let him cry for a few minutes before she punched his shoulder. Hard. He looked up at her as she steadily met his gaze.

"That was for what you said to Santana," she said. "I love you. You know that. But she's off limits."

"I know." He wiped his eyes. "Like I said to Brittany, I'm sorry and I'll make sure I say it to San and Rachel, too. But what the fuck? You show up at school with a huge bruise on your face and basically imply that your dad was the one who put it there? You owe me some answers. Pact, Q."

She sighed. After she had given birth to Beth, she and Puck had made a pact. Even though they both knew they weren't going anywhere romantically, they were bonded forever. Not just because of Beth but because of what they had been through together. Quinn was very aware that part of her heart would always belong to Noah Puckerman, and Puck knew the same about himself and his heart.

They loved each other. They were family.

So, she told him what had happened after she left his house on Saturday and it took everything in Puck not to cry again. Instead, he reached out and gently held his hand against Quinn's bruised cheek.

"Thanks for telling me, Q. I'm so sorry. Sorry I did nothing to stop you from leaving the party and sorry that this happened to you. I want to kill your dad. Literally. But I'll channel the anger into football practice later and take it out on some poor freshmen instead." Quinn laughed. "Where did you go after you left your house?"

"I walked to Rachel's."

His eyes widened. "So you spent the weekend with Rachel. That's why you guy were talking to her earlier."

She nodded and a half-smile danced on her lips. "We're friends. At least, we're trying. I know I have a lot of making up to do and she knows that she has a lot of accepting to do, but we're trying."

There was something weird about the tone of Quinn's voice and the look in her hazel eyes and suddenly, realization dawned on Puck. His eyes widened.

"Oh my god. You like her, don't you."

Quinn blushed. "I…maybe," she confessed. She _so_ didn't want to have this conversation with Puck; not before she had even had it with herself. But the pact meant she couldn't lie to him. "I don't know. Honestly. All I know right now is that she makes me feel safe and she makes me smile. But please don't tease me or say anything to anyone. Not yet."

He grinned and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "Your secret is safe with me, babe. But straight up? I'm a total dumbass so if I was able to figure it out, you can be sure that San and Britts already know, too. Or at least assume. But you know they won't say anything, either. Not until you're ready."

She affectionately ran her hand through the soft strip of hair on his head and gave him a rare, real smile. "I love you, Puckerman."

"Back atcha, Fab-gay."

"A gay pun? _Seriously_? As Rachel would say? Noah!"

* * *

Rachel followed Santana all the way to the football field. She found her sitting at the top of the bleachers, looking out at the empty field with a blank expression on her face. Rachel approached quietly and with caution because she was still somewhat wary around Santana and took a seat next to her without saying anything.

Ten minutes passed before Santana asked, without looking at Rachel, "Did Brittany send you?"

"And Quinn, yes."

Santana nodded. "I thought they might."

"Noah was wrong, you know. To blame you like that when he did nothing to prevent Quinn from leaving, either."

"That's where you're wrong Rachel." Santana shook her head, her dark eyes glittering with anger. "He was right. I was drunk and sloppy and not as focused as I should've been on Quinn's well-being. She was wrong at her house; if I had been there, I could've prevented Q's dad from hitting her. Not because I could have stopped him from swinging but I would have stepped in front of her and taken the hit instead."

"You would have done that for her?"

Santana gazed steadily at Rachel and nodded. "In a heartbeat and without a second of hesitation. Better me get hurt than her. Always better me than her or Brittany."

"They're incredibly lucky to have you."

"Well, you might be just as lucky soon."

"Why do you say that?"

"Seriously?" Santana raised an eyebrow at Rachel. "Q meant it when she said that you better get used to all of us being together. She and Britts both like you. And they trust you."

"It would seem that they do," Rachel agreed. After a couple seconds, she asked hesitantly, "What about you?"

"Do I like you?"

"Yes."

Santana looked into Rachel's huge, nervous brown eyes and answered honestly, "Despite the fact that you sometimes make me want to bang my head against a wall? Or better yet, yours? Yes, Rachel, I like you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Rachel sat with that for a few minutes.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. But you do need to listen to what I'm going to say next. And I don't mean just hear what I'm saying. I need you to listen, hear the words, and understand them." Rachel's eyes widened in slight apprehension but she nodded and Santana went on. "Here's the thing. If things continue on the way they've been going for the past few days, I have a feeling that you're going to start spending a lot of time with us. That means that I'm going to have to put my trust into you concerning Brittany and Quinn."

"I would never do anything to hurt either one of them," Rachel assured her.

"Oh, I know that. But what you don't know – not yet, anyways – is just how important it is that you keep that promise. As of now, there is exactly one person in the world that I trust with Brittany and Quinn. That person, though it may surprise you, is Puck. He and Quinn are family and I know that he loves her and Britts. So yeah. I trust Puck. And now possibly you. But not yet. Not until I'm confident you know what that means."

Santana's tone was fierce as she spoke. "You know that I love Britts. Like _love_ her, love her. Everyone knows that. I can tell you right now that one day, I'm going to marry that girl. I been knowing that since the second I met her. So I have Britts forever. But I also have Quinn forever. It's like this, midget. When I met Quinn, I knew that there was something different about the friendship I shared with her. It wasn't like with Brittany. Q was so god damn similar to me and sometimes it was almost like I fed off her emotions but felt them in a stronger capacity – if she mad, I wanted to kill someone. If she was sad or hurt, I was fucking miserable until she smiled again. I couldn't figure out why until I read this quote in sixth grade: _A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you've forgotten the words_."

"That's when it hit me. Q is _that_ person to me. To put it into perspective with the quote, she can sing the words back to me because she has the exact same song in her heart. She's my best friend but she's more than that. Almost like a soulmate. Not in a romantic way, obviously, but in the sense that her soul mirrors mine."

It was the most beautiful description of a friendship that Rachel had ever heard and she felt tears stinging her eyes.

"So yeah. I have Quinn forever and now you know how I feel about her. I know you're not going to do anything that would ever hurt her or Brittany. I'm going to trust you with them, Rachel, and if you can't see what a big deal that is to me then you haven't been listening very well."

Rachel put her hand on top of Santana's. "I listened, heard you, and understood every single thing you said. Thank you so much for putting that kind of trust into me. I promise I won't let you down. Like I told you yesterday, you're not alone in your fight to make sure they're okay. You're slightly terrifying, Santana, but you're one of the most caring people I've ever met."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up. That officially ends this disgustingly mushy conversation that we never had. Got that?"

"Got it. Are you okay?"

Santana knew that Rachel was referring to the incident with Puck. "Yeah, I'm all good. Sure, what Puck said burned a little. But he just had his balls in a twist because he was freaking out that Quinn got hurt without him knowing. He'll apologize and so will I and we'll be fine. You'll see."

They sat in silence again.

"Santana?"

"Berry?"

"Are we friends?"

Santana resisted the urge to roll her eyes because really, Rachel was the only person she knew who could still need verbal affirmation even after the conversation they had just had. But instead, she settled for nodding and allowed a small smile to blossom on her lips.

"Yes, Rachel. We're friends."

* * *

After school, the four girls went to Quinn's house to watch the promised princess movie.

"Mom, we're home!" Quinn called out as they walked through the front door. Judy came out from the kitchen and gave them a smile.

"What a surprise! I didn't know you were bringing friends over. You should have told me, Quinnie, I would have made cookies!"

"Seriously, Q, what were you thinking? Your cookies are badass, Judy."

"San, language!"

"Don't worry, Brittany," Judy laughed as she hugged her daughter's best friends. "I got used to Santana's colorful vocabulary a long time ago."

"It's colorful alright," Quinn snorted.

Judy released Santana and turned to Rachel, who gave her a shy smile. "I know you," Judy said warmly. "Rachel Berry, right? I don't believe we've ever formally met but I've seen you at glee club performances. You have an incredible voice."

"Thank you!" Rachel beamed and Judy gave her a hug. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fabray."

"Please, call me Judy. And the pleasure is mine, Rachel. Quinnie, I'm going upstairs to call you grandmother. Let me know if you girls need anything."

"Will do. Thanks, Mommy."

After half an hour of Quinn and Santana arguing over which movie to pick, they finally settled on _The Little Mermaid_. While Brittany and Santana set it up, Rachel followed Quinn into the kitchen to help bring out beverages and popcorn.

"Your mom is really nice. You have her smile."

Quinn grinned shyly. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked with concern in her eyes. "We never really got to talk after everything that happened at lunch."

"I'm fine. I talked to Puck and we're good. He was just worried about me and he knows he was wrong to take it out on San."

"That's good. I'm glad Noah cares so much about you."

A few minutes later, she spoke again.

"I do, too, you know. Care about you."

Quinn smiled down at her.

"I know you do. And you know the feeling is mutual."

They resumed the positions they had been in when they watched _The Lion King_ – Brittany and Santana snuggled in an armchair and Rachel and Quinn sitting side by side on the couch.

20 minutes later, in the middle of "Part of Your World," Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and asked very quietly, "Will you sing for me?"

Rachel felt her heart skip a beat but she swallowed and did as the blonde asked. She sang along softly until the end of the song and couldn't stop her stomach from fluttering when she heard Quinn sigh in satisfaction.

Feeling bold, Rachel reached over and took Quinn's hand, lacing their fingers together. She sensed more than saw the smile on Quinn's face and, letting out her own sigh of content, she rested her head on top of Quinn's and smiled.

* * *

**Ahhh, the sweet and unsure beginning of Faberry.**

**Next up, we'll have some Quinn/Santana talk, Rachel/Brittany talk, and Faberry will continue to evolve. Thanks so much for reading! **

**Reviews are, as always, much appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you everybody for the sweet reviews! Mucho amor to you all.**

**Side note - for anyone reading Letters (my other story) I will be updating tomorrow! I had to email myself the next chapter because I typed it out on a different computer and it came out looking all weird format-wise on my laptop so I spent today fixing it.**

**Onto Chapter 5! As promised, Brittany/Rachel, Santana/Quinn, and Faberry.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, not a single person paid any attention to Quinn's bruise. As Rachel, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany stood together at Quinn's locker, the students of McKinley averted their eyes, nearly refusing to even look at her, and Quinn had to laugh.

"Exactly what did you say to everyone after Puck and I left the hallway yesterday, Britts?"

Brittany shrugged, a mischievous grin playing on her face. "I told them you and I would let San off her leash if anyone made a big deal out of your face or San and Puck's fight or us hanging out with Rachel."

"The fuck? I'm not on a leash!"

"Oh yes you are, bitch." Quinn snorted at the outraged expression on Santana's face.

"Bitch is a common term for a female dog. Dogs require leashes," Rachel piped up helpfully.

"You just called me a dog? Oh hell no, Berry, I'm taking you outside."

"San, play nice," Brittany laughed, putting a hand on Santana's shoulder. "I was just teasing and so were Q and Rachel. To answer your question for real, Q, I honestly didn't say much. I didn't have to. All I said was not to pay any attention to what's going on with us and everyone listened. I don't have to be scary; you and San totally have that covered."

"I concur," Rachel said. "Brittany is actually quite scary and almost purely because of her association with you two."

"Still," Santana grumbled, and Quinn smiled.

After they left Quinn's locker, they began to walk down the hall and Rachel couldn't help but feel as if she was on display. Despite Brittany's warning to the student body, Rachel could feel people's eyes on her, assessing the situation and most likely thinking _what is SHE doing with THEM_?

Rachel couldn't blame them. The past few days felt completely surreal to her. A week ago, she had been completely content with her almost-friendship/polite acquaintance with the three cheerleaders and now, just days later, she was joking with them (still somewhat hesitantly), walking down the hall with them, and they were friends.

Her companions weren't blind to the stares, either, and they could all see the disbelief in Rachel's eyes as the four of them walked through the hall. Quinn smiled at her, Brittany gave her a little shoulder bump, and Santana rolled her eyes but said, "Q and Britts like you. At times, I might moderately feel something akin to affection towards you. Get over yourself, Berry."

It was very typical Santana but Rachel beamed and felt like she was flying.

Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last very long. The second they turned the corner, Rachel was hit square in the face with the tell-tale wave of wet, sticky, incredibly cold red liquid that could only be a cherry slushie.

She heard several angry shouts and a loud commotion but everything sounded far away. Her eyes were shut tight as she stood there without moving. Because Quinn had called off the slushies after having Beth, it had been a long time since Rachel had felt the icy slap of one. She had forgotten how cold they were.

She had forgotten how much they hurt.

Not just physically.

"Rach? Are you okay?"

Rachel slowly pried open her eyes and found Brittany staring at her, looking both upset and concerned. She turned her head but saw no one around them.

She swiveled back to Brittany, confused.

"Where did everyone go?"

Brittany took Rachel's arm and began to pull her towards the bathroom. As she did, she said, "Well, after you got slushied, Quinn lunged for the guys who did it. It was two freshmen football players who probably won't be football players for much longer because there's no way Finn and Puck and Sam are going to let them stay on the team after this." They walked into the bathroom, which was thankfully empty, and Brittany helped Rachel take off her slushie-soaked sweater. "Anyways, Q took off after them so of course San took off after _her_ and then I glared at everyone to make them go away and then you opened your eyes and now we're here."

Rachel held up her sweater and sighed. "Looks like this one's a goner," she said, dropping it into the trash. "Luckily, I always carry a spare change of clothes in my locker just in case something like this was to ever happen."

"I'm so sorry, Rachel."

Brittany was completely dismayed that Rachel had been hit with the slushie. Not only did she feel awful for the smaller girl but she knew that the incident would push Santana and especially Quinn's guilt buttons because they were originally the ones who had ordered slushies to be thrown at Rachel in the first place. The fact that Quinn had declared the members of the glee club off-limits wouldn't matter to the blonde; Brittany knew Quinn and she knew that her best friend would feel personally responsible for what had happened.

Rachel was shocked to see a tear roll down Brittany's cheek. And yet at the same time, looking into her sad blue eyes, she wasn't shocked at all. Just as Brittany held a fearful reputation at school because of Quinn and Santana, Rachel had always known that the sweet blonde had always just gone along with the bullying. Brittany had never once set out to hurt her individually.

"Brittany, this isn't your fault," Rachel said gently. "And it's not Santana or Quinn's fault either. Look at me." Brittany looked up. "I'm completely okay. Sure, I'm a little disappointed about my sweater but that's the only negative feeling I have in me right now. Though I'm sure it makes you feel guilty to remember, I _have_ been slushied before so I'm not new to the feeling or the consequences. I have a change of clothes that I'm going to put on as soon as I clean all of this out of my hair and off my face and then we're going to continue on the day as if nothing happened. I'm okay. I promise. So please, please don't feel bad."

Brittany heard nothing but honesty in Rachel's voice and couldn't believe that once again, the brunette was willing to just let everything go. But that's the kind of person Rachel was and Brittany had known that forever.

She gave Rachel a sad smile. "Okay. Thank you, Rachel. And I am sorry still so I'll totally help get that slushie stuff off of you if you want help."

"Actually, Britts, do you think I could help Rachel instead?"

Both Brittany and Rachel turned at the sound of Quinn's voice. The head cheerleader was standing in the doorway of the bathroom with Santana hovering behind her. There was still a slightly murderous look in Quinn's eyes but her tone was gentle.

Brittany, completely relieved to see that her best friends were okay, nodded and gave Rachel a hug. "I'm going to let Q help you out, Rach. But see you at lunch?"

"Absolutely. Thank you, Brittany. Remember what I said."

"I will."

As Brittany walked past her, Quinn reached out and ruffled the other girl's hair. "Thanks for staying with her, B."

"No prob, bestie. Did you and San beat up those freshmen?"

Quinn smiled wryly.

"Something like that."

"Good."

Santana spoke up from where she stood propping the door open. "I'll deal with the teachers, Q." They were all definitely going to be late for third period. "Just get Berry cleaned up."

"Thanks, S."

"_De nada_. Hold the door for a second, Britts." Brittany took Santana's place at the door as Santana marched up to Rachel and pointed her index finger at the shorter girl. "Are you okay?" she demanded.

Rachel was almost frightened by how fierce Santana's voice was but she answered honestly, "Yes. I'm cold and wet but I have clothes to change into. I'm fine."

Santana narrowed her eyes. "If I hug you, are you going to make a big deal out of it?"

Quinn snorted as Rachel nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes. Completely. Sorry, I know that's not the answer you wanted to hear but hugging is a big deal."

Santana shook her finger at Rachel. "Just this once, midget," she warned, and then pulled Rachel into a ferociously tight hug.

"Are you really okay?" Santana whispered so that only Rachel would hear her.

"One hundred percent," Rachel promised quietly.

"Good. Go easy on my cap, okay, because she's feeling super guilty right now."

"As I assumed she would be. Will do."

Santana released Rachel and winked at her. "Cinnamon and Berry Burst, right?"

Rachel laughed and nodded. Quinn and Brittany had no idea what this meant but they looked at each other and smiled.

"Come on, San," Brittany said, tugging Santana's hand and dragging the other girl out of the bathroom. "Q, come find us at lunch!"

Quinn nodded her affirmation and turned to face Rachel as the door to the bathroom closed. She took in the red clumps of ice that clung to Rachel's hair, body, and clothes and wanted to cry from the sheer guilt she felt but refused herself the right to do so. Instead, she walked over to the sink and ran a paper towel under the water.

"Can I help you?" she asked quietly, just as Rachel had asked her the night that she had shown up at her door.

Rachel sensed that making a _oh how the tables have turned_ joke would be unwise so she simply nodded and closed her eyes as Quinn gently began to wipe the slushie from her face.

When Quinn moved behind her and started to run her fingers through Rachel's hair, combing out the ice, Rachel couldn't stop herself from letting out a sigh of content.

"Are you okay? Does that hurt?" Quinn asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine. It…" Rachel hesitated but decided to go for it. "It feels good."

Quinn's breath hitched.

"Oh. Okay. Good," she said, stuttering slightly over the words.

As Quinn continued to work her fingers through Rachel's tangled hair, she couldn't resist looking at Rachel in the mirror. The shorter girl's eyes were closed, giving Quinn the full ability to stare without Rachel knowing. She took in the peaceful look on Rachel's face, her eyes lingering on Rachel's lips before she blushed and forced herself to look away.

"It's all out of your hair," she said, clearing her throat. Rachel opened her eyes and gave Quinn a smile.

A Rachel Berry smile.

* * *

**Earlier…**

_The second the slushie hit Rachel, Quinn let out a shriek of rage and immediately turned to the culprits._

_Two freshmen. Football players._

"_I hope you can run fast," she said in a low and dangerous tone of voice. "Because you're going to need to in about three seconds." _

_The two boys looked at each other with terror and panic in their eyes. Some of the sophomores on the team had dared them to slushie Rachel Berry. They hadn't known that Quinn Fabray, head cheerleader and most popular girl in school Quinn Fabray, would be walking with her._

_They turned and began to run down the hall. Quinn tore after them and Santana yelled, "Stay with Rachel!" at Brittany before flying after Quinn. She caught up with the fired-up blonde and grabbed her arm._

"_Q. Q, stop. Calm down," she said, breathing heavily._

"_No! San, get off. You should be helping me, not stopping me!"_

"_Q! Dial it down and breathe." Quinn obediently sucked in a deep breath as Santana pulled out her phone and punched in a series of numbers. "We'll get them, don't worry, but there's a better way than this." Two seconds later, she spoke into the phone. "Puck? Yeah, it's me. Two freshmen idiots just slushied Rachel in front of me, Q, and Britts. Yeah, I know. Assholes. You will? Okay. Yes, Q's fine and so is everyone else. See you later." _

_She hung up and grinned at Quinn. "Taken care of, cap," she said confidently. "Puck and the guys will fuck them up, no doubt."_

"_Good thinking calling them."_

"_Duh. Now, let's sit and talk for a second." They both collapsed against a row of lockers and Santana looked into Quinn's eyes. "Be real with me for a second, Q. On a scale from one to ten, where's your guilt right now? Straight up."_

_Quinn looked at the floor. Of course Santana knew._

"_Honestly," she sighed heavily. "Scale of one to ten? At least 15."_

"_Thought you would be," Santana nodded. "I am too."_

"_It's my fault, San. It's my fault that people bully her."_

"_It kind of is," Santana agreed. "But I'm telling you right now that Rachel isn't going to blame you for what just happened. She's going to let it go and be completely normal about it because she's never cared about anything but being your friend."_

"_She should hate me," Quinn said bitterly. "I would – I do."_

"_No, Quinn," Santana said gently. "No. You don't get to hate yourself. Do you remember what I told you in fifth grade after I met your dad for the first time?"_

_Quinn sighed. "You said that if I ever felt like hating myself, I should channel that hate towards you instead, because you'd rather I hate you than hate myself."_

"_Right. And you're breaking that rule right now so cut that shit out and behave."_

_Quinn laughed and they slipped into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she looked over at Santana._

"_Can I ask you something, S?"_

"_Always."_

"_Why did you make that rule? Why would you rather I hate you than myself, the person who actually deserves it?"_

_Santana gave her a sad smile and took Quinn's hand, lacing their fingers together briefly._

"_Because your pain has always been more unbearable to me than my own."_

* * *

Rachel examined her hair in the mirror and was immensely pleased to see that all traces of slushie were gone.

"Thanks for helping me clean up." She beamed at Quinn.

"It's only right," Quinn shrugged, her eyes once again glinting with anger. "It's my fault that this happened."

"Quinn, no, it's—"

"No, Rachel." Quinn cut her off sharply, her anger blocking out what Santana had told her earlier. "It is. It's my fault. It doesn't matter that I didn't order that particular slushie. I was the one who started having them thrown at you in the first place – those boys were only adding to the horrible thing that I started."

"Quinn…"

Rachel's voice pierced her heart and Quinn couldn't do anything to stop the familiar burn of tears.

"Do you hate me?" she asked. "For you what I used to do to you? I would."

"No! No. Absolutely not," Rachel said immediately, her heart breaking at how sad and guilt-ridden the blonde looked. She reached out and carefully took Quinn's hand, knowing how the taller girl felt about being touched. "Quinn, please believe me when I say that I have never once hated you for anything that you ever did to me. Yes, I hated things that you _did_ but I've never hated you as a person."

"How?" Quinn whispered, her voice breaking on the word. "How can you say that to me, Rachel, after all the awful things that I've done to you? I've literally made your life miserable. How can you stand there and tell me that you've never hated me?"

Rachel smiled at her somewhat sadly. "Honestly, for a couple reasons. First of all, I find it hard to hate anyone in general. It's just not in my personality to hate others. Secondly, I've always kind of figured that you had a good reason for the things you did and after talking to Santana on Sunday, I know that you did. And third…" She looked deep into Quinn's tear-filled hazel eyes. Her hazel whirlpools. "No matter how you've acted towards me in the past, I've never wanted anything but to be your friend, Quinn. To be close to you and know you and understand what goes on in your mind. That's all I've ever wanted."

Quinn could tell by the look in Rachel's eyes that the shorter girl meant what she was saying and it made her heart stop and her stomach flip.

"Well, now you're starting to have…all that," she said with a small smile. "Is it what you imagined it would be?"

"No, it's not what I thought it would be," Rachel said. She smiled. "It's better. You're such a mystery to me, Quinn, but I wouldn't change that for anything. Figuring you out is a challenge and you know I've never been one to back down from a challenge."

Quinn laughed, looking down into Rachel's smiling face and without thinking, brushed a strand of hair away from the brunette's forehead. Rachel's breath caught in her throat as Quinn leaned closer, brushing her lips lightly against Rachel's. It wasn't a kiss as much as it was a whisper of one but it was enough to make both girls' hearts stop.

Quinn pulled back and searched Rachel's face for a reaction. She saw a tornado of different emotions swirling in the smaller girl's eyes. Rachel did the same and saw the exact same thing.

Confusion. Happiness. A hint of want.

"Are you…okay?" Quinn asked breathlessly.

"Yes," Rachel managed to choke out. "Are you?"

"I…think so." Quinn bit her bottom lip.

"That's good."

Suddenly, Quinn's phone buzzed and both girls jumped at the sound. She fumbled through her backpack and yanked out the phone.

**Santana Lopez: You may as well not come to third period, it's over in 10. Meet you in the quad in 15?**

Quinn's fingers flew across the screen as she typed back a quick response. While she did this, Rachel finished washing the rest of the red slushie off of her hands.

**Quinn Fabray: Copy that. With Rachel?**

**Santana Lopez: The midget can come, yes.**

**Quinn Fabray: As Britts would say? Play nice.**

**Santana Lopez: Question – don't I always play nice?**

**Quinn Fabray: Answer – no.**

**Santana Lopez: Flipping you off. See you soon.**

Quinn grinned as she put her phone back into her backpack. "That was San," she informed Rachel as she helped Rachel pick up her books from the floor. "Third period's basically over so we'll stop by your locker and you can put your books away and then we'll head to the quad to meet her and Britts. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds excellent," Rachel said.

Just before she reached the door, Quinn turned around and looked at Rachel.

"Rachel, about earlier, before Santana texted me…"

Rachel gently placed her index finger over Quinn's lips. "Don't, Quinn. It's something to talk about but not now. We don't have time. Do you want to come over after school?"

"Yes," Quinn nodded. "Talk. Later. No Cheerios today so meet me in the parking lot after class lets out and I'll drive us to your house?"

"Perfect."

* * *

**Slow, slow, slow - I know. But slow and steady wins the race, my friends. Thanks for reading/reviewing if you do! **

**These chapters will eventually get longer, I promise.**

**Next up? A lot of Faberry, among other things.**


	6. Chapter 6

**You guys are so sweet, thank you so much for your reviews and for reading this story in general. I appreciate that you guys seem to be accepting of Rachel and Quinn taking things slow. I hope this chapter lives up to everyone's expectations! **

**Here we go. Rachel and Quinn's big talk. Enjoy!**

* * *

As Rachel stood at her locker and put her books away, she felt a slight flutter of nerves. In just fifteen minutes, she was meeting a certain blonde head cheerleader and bringing said cheerleader to her house. Despite their new-found friendship, that alone was enough to kick-start Rachel's anxiety, not to mention what had happened in the bathroom earlier that day.

The kiss? The almost kiss? The lightest, barely-there brushing of Quinn's lips against her own?

Rachel didn't even know what to call it or if she should make a big deal out of it or if it was worth even making any deal out of it at all and yet it had been the only thing on her mind for the entire school day. She momentarily leaned against her locker and groaned in frustration.

Friendships were supposed to be easy and so far, nothing about a friendship with Quinn Fabray was proving to be easy.

Quinn, for her part, wasn't much better off. The blonde had _no_ idea what had come over her earlier, and what had possessed her to kiss (kiss? Was it a kiss?) Rachel. Slamming her locker shut, her conversation with Puck from the previous day played back in her mind.

"_Oh my god. You like her, don't you."_

She thought about her response.

"_I…maybe. I don't know. Honestly. All I know right now is that she makes me feel safe and she makes me smile."_

As she made her way to the parking lot, Quinn pondered the things she had said to Puck. They were true; she did feel safe with Rachel, and the brunette did make her smile. But was that due to all the time they had spent together in the past few days and all the good feelings that came with a new friendship, or had her actions been drive by something more?

Quite frankly, it scared Quinn that she didn't have an answer to that question.

* * *

"Rachel! Wait up!"

Rachel turned and slowed down her steps as the sound of Kurt's voice stopped her from walking any further down the hall. She gave him a smile as he caught up with her.

"Hi, Kurt."

"Hi, yourself," he said, hip-bumping her as they started to walk side by side. "Where have you been the past couple days? I feel like I've barely seen you."

"You saw me in glee an hour ago!"

"Oh, come on. You know what I mean."

They stopped at Kurt's locker and Rachel leaned against the cool metal as she watched Kurt put away his books.

"I've just been busy, that's all," she said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Busy with a certain Cheerio?" Kurt said, winking at her and closing his locker. "Actually, make that three Cheerios – two blonde and one brunette. What gives? You're not ditching me to become a cheerleader are you?"

They began to head towards the front of the building.

"Hardly. Quinn and I have decided to experiment with a real friendship," Rachel informed him. "No more of the half-friends/frenemies ordeal we've been playing at. We made the decision on Saturday, so that's why I've been spending time with her this week. And naturally, if you get Quinn—"

"You get her counterparts, too," Kurt finished for her with a laugh. "Well, I'm happy for you. And also not surprised. Now that the ice bitch has started to thaw – to a degree – I figured it was only a matter of time before you two became friends." He gave Rachel a warm smile. "That's actually pretty cool, Rachel, and I wish you the best of luck with it. I do want you to be cautious though, at least in the beginning. You never know…"

"I know. I'm a little nervous," Rachel confessed as he trailed off. "I mean, it's me and Quinn. Quinn _Fabray_. You know?"

"I know," he said seriously, because he did. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her brown eyes that were way too full of hope for her own good. "Just promise me you won't completely let her in until she earns it, okay?"

She smiled and was about to reply when a silky voice stopped her.

"Rachel," Quinn called out lazily, and both Rachel and Kurt turned to see the blonde leaning against her car. She tilted her head, beckoning Rachel over.

"Be right there!" Rachel chirped, a tiny thrill going through her. Kurt blinked as he took note of how the brunette immediately lit up at the sight of the Cheerio.

_Interesting. Very interesting._

Rachel turned back to Kurt and gave him a hug.

"Are we still on for Friday night?" he asked, squeezing her. "Musical marathon in my basement?"

"Absolutely. And I promise I'll be careful about what you said earlier," she said, beaming and blowing him a kiss before she skipped off towards Quinn's car.

Kurt waved back and grinned to himself as he watched Rachel reach Quinn and give the taller girl a dazzling smile.

_Very interesting indeed._

* * *

Once the girls had gotten into the car, Quinn offered Rachel the connector cord. "To play music from your phone," she explained. "I'm sure you have a larger collection of songs than I do. You can play anything as long as it's not too hardcore Broadway."

Rachel scowled at her but laughed and put the cord into her phone. Obeying Quinn's request of no show tunes, she selected her relaxation playlist and put it on shuffle.

They were silent as Quinn started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. For the first five minutes of the drive, Rachel was too nervous to say anything. Being near Quinn made her heart race and she was still slightly apprehensive about being alone with the blonde. Quinn took note of Rachel's tense profile and knew that the brunette was anxious but she struggled to find words.

It wasn't exactly awkward but the atmosphere in the car wasn't completely relaxed, either.

"So…what did Twinkle Toes want?" Quinn finally asked. "Does he need to borrow a sweater?"

_When in doubt, be a bitch_.

"Quinn, be nice," Rachel scolded the blonde. "He just wanted to know why I've been so much time with you, Santana, and Brittany this week."

"And? What did you tell him?"

"The truth," Rachel said. "I said that you and I – turn left here – are testing the waters of a friendship. And of course, everyone is aware that with Quinn Fabray come Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce.

"Right," Quinn snorted, turning onto Rachel's street and parking in front of the brunette's house. "Are your dads home?"

"They should be. Why do you ask?"

Quinn played with her car keys and couldn't bring herself to meet Rachel's gaze. Rachel took one look at the blonde's expression and understood immediately.

"You're scared to meet them."

"I'm not scared," Quinn scoffed. But when Rachel looked at her skeptically, she dropped the act and her stomach clenched nervously. "Okay, so that was a lie. But can you blame me? I know you've told them what I've done to you, Rachel. They know what I am."

"And what would that be?" Rachel asked gently.

"An icy bitch who's been bullying you since middle school?" Quinn offered with a shrug. "It's okay; they're right. I know it's true and I can admit that."

Rachel shook her head and Quinn fought the automatic urge to pull away when the smaller girl tentatively took her hand. "Quinn, I assure you that's not what or who you are, and it's certainly not what my fathers think of you, either. Yes, they know about our…history. But I've also told them how much you've changed – how much you're still changing." She squeezed Quinn's hand. "You have nothing to worry about it. I promise everything will be fine."

Quinn took a deep breath. "Okay," she nodded. "I believe you."

They got out of the car and Rachel called out as they walked into the house, "Parents! I'm home!"

Quinn cracked a smile at Rachel's greeting to her dads and looked around the entrance to the house. She had been too busy crying to take much notice of any details the last time she was at the Berry household. The walls were lined with photographs; some in black and white and some in color, some of Rachel and some of different landscapes.

"These pictures are incredible," she said appreciatively.

"Photography is kind of Daddy's hobby."

Quinn was about to reply but stopped as soon as Rachel's father stepped into the hallway. She swallowed down the anxious lump in her throat and watched the two tall men greet their daughter.

"Hi, sweetie," one of them said, giving Rachel a hug as the other one watched them embrace and smiled.

"Dad, Daddy, this is Quinn Fabray. You should both recognize her from the glee club performances you've attended and the one football game I forced you to come to during my very brief time on the football team."

Rachel's fathers looked at each other and knew what they knew about the blonde stranger standing in front of them but they both remembered what Rachel had said to them on Sunday night.

"_Baby girl, don't get upset because you know we just want what's best for you but are you sure that a friendship with this girl is a good idea, given what she's done to you?"_

"_I'm positive. She's changing. Ever since she gave up her daughter, she's been different. More gentle. I can see it in her eyes, Daddy. The look in them is changing."_

Hiram Berry nodded to his husband and held out his hand to Quinn, who took it and shook as the man said with a smile, "Hiram Berry. It's a pleasure to meet you, Quinn."

"Likewise, Mr. Berry."

"Please, call me Hiram. And this silent man who has yet to speak is my husband, Leroy."

Leroy stepped forward and shook Quinn's hand, also smiling but with a slightly steely glint in his eyes. Quinn saw this and automatically knew that this was the man she would be receiving the _don't you dare hurt our baby_ speech from.

So, in true Fabray fashion, she did what she had been trained to do. She smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Berry. I was just saying to Rachel how amazing all of these pictures are and she told me that they were taken by you. They're very impressive." She gaze him a winning smile.

At that, Leroy's smile grew slightly. He saw right through the girl – she was a charmer, and a well-trained one at that. But he decided to be nice because his parents had been the exact same way with him and how they demanded he act when he was her age.

"Thank you for the compliment, Quinn. Photography and specifically taking pictures of Rachel is my guilty pleasure. Slightly nerdy but it's better than Rachel's guilty pleasure – binge-watching musicals and screeching along to every single song."

Quinn laughed as Rachel stomped her foot, "Daddy! I do not screech!"

"It's okay, Rachel," Quinn said. "Both of those are still better than my guilty pleasure."

"Which would be?"

"Binge-washing trashy reality TV shows."

Rachel and Leroy laughed as Hiram gasped and clapped his hands together in delight. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "Someone who understands me. I love reality TV but these two ridicule me for it so much!"

"Don't worry, I get the same lectures about it from my mom," Quinn said, holding up her fist for him to pound, which he did excitedly. "I don't know what it is about the Kardashians that I find so intriguing but once I start watching them, I can't stop."

"Oh, Quinn, the Kardashians? Really?"

"I'm telling you, Rach, there's just something entertaining about them."

"I hardly think that _Keeping_ _Up With The Kardashians_ qualifies as entertainment."

As Leroy and Hiram listened to this playful banter, they shared another look. Hiram raised his eyebrows at Leroy, silently asking what his husband thought of the girl, and Leroy nodded the affirmative.

"Well," he said, "we were in the middle of a game of Scrabble. You girls are welcome to anything in the kitchen."

"Thank you, Daddy! Quinn, come on."

Quinn smiled at Rachel's fathers as she let Rachel take her hand and drag her into the kitchen. They smiled back and waved as the two girls disappeared from their line of sight.

* * *

"Do you want anything to drink?" Rachel asked as they entered the kitchen. "Vitamin Water? Regular water? Tea? Coffe?"

"Vitamin water is fine."

Rachel grabbed two bottles from the refrigerator and motioned for Quinn to follow her. "We can talk in my room," she said.

Once they were in Rachel's room, memories from Saturday night came flooding back to both girls. Rachel could sense that Quinn was slightly uncomfortable and gestured to the bed.

"Do you want to sit?" she offered.

Quinn nodded and sat down hesitantly at the foot of the bed. Rachel positioned herself across from the blonde and leaned against the headrest.

Quinn looked down and ran her fingers lightly along the seams of Rachel's comforter.

"Did Kurt tell you to be careful around me?" she asked quietly.

"I…" Rachel hesitated but decided that lying wouldn't do any good. "Yes, he did. But it's only because—"

"It's okay," Quinn cut her off. "I know why, and so do you. He's a good friend." There was a pause. "I'm not." Another pause. "A good friend, I mean."

"Yes you are, Quinn."

"How can you—"

"How can I say that?" Rachel smiled at her and Quinn nodded. "Because it's the truth, Quinn. Listen to me. You are not a bad person and you're not a bad friend. I've always known that and if anything, after seeing you in close capacity with Santana and Brittany, I'm more sure of that fact than I ever have been before. Look at me, please." Quinn looked at her. "Quinn, I meant what I said in the bathroom. I don't hate you and I never have. But if we're going to make this friendship work, you're going to have to let go of our past. All the guilt you still feel? You need to let go of it if you want this to work."

Quinn sucked in a shaky breath. "I don't know if I can, Rachel," she said. "It's not easy for me to let go of things."

"At least promise me that you'll try not to feel so guilty, okay? Look into my eyes and know that I've forgiven you for everything you've done and take comfort in that. Please? If not for yourself, then for me?"

Quinn looked into Rachel's eyes and saw nothing but raw honestly. "Okay," she said. "I'll try. For you."

Rachel beamed, "Thank you."

They gazed at each other and as Rachel felt Quinn's eyes sucking her in, her heart skipped a beat and she suddenly remembered why they had come to her house in the first place.

Quinn realized how close they were sitting and shifted back a fraction, clearing her throat nervously. "So we should talk," she said, trying her best to keep her voice even.

"Yes," Rachel breathed. "Talk."

"I…do you want to go first or should I?"

Rachel could sense how nervous Quinn and smiled. "I'll go first," she told the blonde. "Before I start, let me just say how happy I am that we're friends, Quinn. I can't even begin tell you how ecstatic that makes me. So, thank you for agreeing to try this friendship out with me, because it means more to me than you know. That said," she took a deep breath, "I do feel the need to discuss what happened in the bathroom earlier today because frankly, it's the only thing I've been able to think about all day and I have a feeling that you're just as confused as I am about how you feel."

Quinn bit back a smile. Paragraph!Rachel was back.

"Now, do you want to hear what I have to say on the matter first, or would you like to take it from here?" the brunette asked.

"You can keep going, Rachel. And I know it's partially just the way you talk but you don't need to do the nervous formal talk with me."

Rachel blushed. "I apologize – I mean, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "It's not you. I mean, it is you. But you know what I mean. Or maybe you don't. I don't know."

Quinn reached out and tousled the girl's hair, much like she had done to Brittany earlier. Rachel gave her a small apologetic smile.

"Never mind what I just said. I'll talk now, okay?" Quinn said, and Rachel nodded.

Quinn ran her hands through her hair. "Okay. I guess let me do what you did first and say I'm just as happy that we're friends. I also feel like I didn't really thank you properly for letting me stay here on Saturday night. I'm still not one hundred percent sure what drove me to come here but I'm so glad I did. You were so gentle and caring when I haven't ever been those things to you. You made me feel safe when I was hurt and that's something I'm never going to forget."

She paused. "I guess it's my turn to talk in paragraphs," she said, and laughed when Rachel scowled at her.

"Moving on. Spending time with you the past few days has made me realize a few things, Rachel. Everything I feel when I'm around you comes with a contradicting emotion. Like I said, you make me feel safe. But I'm also afraid of letting you in. You make me smile but at the same time, I feel guilty around you because of our past. I know all of these things but I know other things, too." Quinn took a deep breath and looked into Rachel's eyes. "Like the fact that being near you has kind of started to make my heart race. I know that you have huge brown eyes that I could look into forever. And I know that I'm starting to feel things that I can't explain."

With the exception of Saturday, Rachel had never heard Quinn sound so vulnerable. But the blonde was clearly baring her heart to her, so it was only fair that she did the same.

"I understand what you're saying about contradicting emotions," she said, "because I feel them too. Spending time with you thrills me, Quinn, but it also makes me anxious and nervous because of our history. I want to talk to you forever and about everything but the thought of doing that scares me. But to quote you, I also know other things." She brushed a strand of hair away from Quinn's face. "I know that sometimes I forget how to breathe around you. I know that you're the prettiest girl I've ever met. And I know that I, too, am beginning to experience feelings that I can't put into words."

They sat in silence for several long moments, processing everything that had just transpired.

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked nervously.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you…earlier in the bathroom…was that a kiss?"

Quinn swallowed hard and decided to be daring. "Maybe," she said, shrugging. "So what if it was?"

"Well," Rachel said slowly. "I guess I couldn't be sure because I don't know if it was enough to count as a kiss. So I don't know how I feel about it."

"What are you suggesting, Berry?"

"That maybe I need a real kiss to decide how I feel, Fabray."

Quinn took note of how Rachel's eyes had darkened significantly with this turn in their conversation.

"Are you asking me to kiss you?"

"Are you saying yes?"

Quinn scooted forward until she was just inches away from Rachel. The suggestive look in her eyes wasn't lost on Rachel as Quinn slowly ran her tongue over her bottom lip and bit down on it.

"I'm going to kiss you now," Quinn said, her voice an octave lower than it was normally.

"Okay," Rachel breathed out.

Quinn leaned closer until there was just barely a centimeter of space between them. Her gaze was met with dark brown eyes before she moved forward slightly and pressed her lips against Rachel's. She pulled away after three seconds and drew back a fraction to look into Rachel's eyes again before re-capturing the brunette's lips and drawing her into another kiss, this time slowing moving their lips together.

All rational thoughts were thrown from Rachel's mind at the feeling of Quinn's lips pushing against her own. They were impossibly soft and tasted like Quinn's cherry lip gloss and the vitamin water the blonde had been drinking earlier. She slowly moved her hands from her lap to cup Quinn's face gently, and when Quinn reciprocated by threading her fingers tightly into Rachel's hair, Rachel let out a small moan.

Quinn pulled back at the sound but Rachel snaked her fingers around Quinn's neck and tugged her closer. "Don't stop," she whispered. Quinn felt firecrackers go off in her lower stomach as they resumed kissing. Her tongue slid over Rachel's bottom lip as she sucked on it lightly and she groaned when Rachel panted, opening her mouth and allowing Quinn's tongue access in.

Slowly and without breaking contact, Quinn pushed Rachel backwards until she was leaning against her pillows. Their tongues danced together as Rachel moved her hands from Quinn's neck to the girl's hips. She gripped them tightly and raked her fingers down Quinn's back when the blonde began to pepper Rachel's jaw with feather-light kisses. When she reached Rachel's neck, Quinn snuck her tongue out and pressed a molten kiss against Rachel's skin before biting down lightly. Rachel automatically and involuntarily arched her back and pressed her hips up into Quinn's, creating a delicious pressure which felt _so_ good that she all she could do was let out a strangled gasp when Quinn suddenly flew off her and back to the end of the bed.

Rachel sat up slowly, breathing hard, and looked across her bed to Quinn, who was completely flushed and still had a slightly feral look in her hazel eyes. Reassured that the blonde was okay, Rachel sat back against her pillows again and threw her hands over her face.

Through her haze of emotions, Quinn couldn't stop herself from giggling at Rachel's disheveled appearance.

"So…did you decide?" she asked.

"Decide what?" Rachel's voice was muffled by her hands.

"How you feel. That was the whole point of doing that, right?" Quinn teased and Rachel's hands dropped from her face as she looked up at the smirking blonde.

"I…you'll have to forgive me if I can't form coherent thoughts right now," she said, and Quinn let out another giggle. Rachel glared at her. "How are you so cool and collected right now?" she demanded.

Quinn laughed. "I'm not, Rachel, don't worry. I'm just better at hiding it than you are." And it was true; somewhere in the back of her mind, Quinn was internally flipping out over what had just happened. But the fog that had seemingly surrounded her brain while kissing Rachel wasn't clearing up and it was completely preventing Quinn from thinking.

Rachel covered her face with a pillow and groaned into it without thinking, "Oh my god. I officially have feelings for the head cheerleader."

Quinn's eyes widened at the admission and Rachel froze. She slowly pulled the pillow away from her face.

"Did I just say that out loud?" she asked, and winced when Quinn nodded. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm prone to saying whatever comes to mind before thinking about it first."

"It's okay," Quinn said carefully. "Is it true? You have feelings for me? Like real feelings?"

Rachel gave her a wry smile. "Wasn't my reaction to kissing you enough confirmation?" she asked and Quinn cracked a smile.

The blonde took a deep breath and blew it out, several blonde wisps flying out of her face as she did so. She had no idea what to say and Rachel could see that, so she sat up and moved forward until her knees were touching Quinn's.

"You don't have to say anything, Quinn," she told her. "I am prone to wearing my heart on my sleeve and letting out every single emotion I feel. But I know that's not how you operate and I completely respect that. So yes. I have feelings for you and I recognize that fact but please don't feel pressured to say the same back to me. I know you need time to process everything."

She gave Quinn a reassuring smile before falling silent to allow the blonde time to think.

Quinn closed her eyes and replayed everything that had happened since arriving at Rachel's house earlier that afternoon. Meeting Rachel's fathers. Talking on the bed. Kissing on the bed. Everything was happening incredibly fast and she was scared shitless about what kissing Rachel meant but she couldn't lie to herself and she couldn't lie to Rachel, either. Rachel had been honest with her about her feelings and deserved the same from Quinn.

After two minutes of silence, Quinn opened her eyes and said very quietly, "What if I said that I have feelings for you, too?"

Rachel smiled at her but knew what she knew about the blonde. She took Quinn's hand and laced their fingers together. "I would be completely thrilled," she told her. "But I would also say that I think you need more than just a couple minutes to think about this, as do I."

"So…where do we go from here?" Quinn asked hesitantly.

"You're going to go home and call your best friends. I know you, Quinn, and I know that you need to talk this over with Santana and Brittany before you'll be able to make any decisions about it. I also need to process everything that has happened today but I'm used to doing that kind of thinking on my own." She looked into Quinn's eyes and smiled. "Does that sound good?"

Quinn sucked in a shaky breath and nodded. "Thank you for understanding, Rachel. It's not that I don't…I mean – you know. I don't want you to think that I stopped because I wasn't, like, enjoying it. Because I did enjoy it. A lot. Too much, actually, which is why I pulled back."

Rachel nodded. "I understand, Quinn. It's a lot to take in for me, too, and it's probably a good thing that you stopped because those things always seem to lead to more and neither of us are ready for anything in the 'more' category to happen. Not yet. But you should know that I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well, and even though I'm wildly confused – not necessarily in a bad way – right now, I'm also extremely happy. Conflicting emotions, as you stated before."

Quinn grinned. Formal-talking, paragraph!Rachel. Her safety net of sorts.

"Walk me downstairs?" she suggested, and Rachel nodded. Just before they reached Rachel's bedroom door, Quinn turned around to face the shorter girl. She gently cupped Rachel's face and pressed a sweet, chaste kiss against her lips.

When Quinn broke away from her, Rachel was trembling. "What was that for?" she whispered.

"To say thank you. For today. For the past few days. For everything, really." Quinn leaned her forehead against Rachel's briefly. "Text me later, okay?"

"Okay," was all Rachel could manage to say.

They walked downstairs and Quinn said goodbye to Rachel's fathers before heading to the front door. Rachel walked quietly by her side until they reached Quinn's car.

"Quinn?"

"Rachel?"

Quinn looked at her with her hazel whirlpools and Rachel's heart skipped a beat as all words escaped her thoughts.

"I'll…I'll see you tomorrow?"

Quinn smiled and tugged Rachel into a hug. She felt the shorter girl sigh into her shoulder.

"Yes, Rach. I'll meet you at your locker tomorrow morning." She got into the car and started the engine. Rolling down the window, she leaned her head out and waved to Rachel, who smiled and waved back as she watched Quinn drive away.

When she could no longer see Quinn's car, Rachel walked back into her house and went back to her room. Flopping on her bed, she closed her eyes and replayed the entire day in her head.

She reached over to the table next to her bed and picked up her phone, dialing a number.

"_Hello?"_ Kurt's voice came through the speaker a few seconds later.

"I have a crush on Quinn Fabray."

* * *

**Cheers for Faberry! I hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading and triple thanks to those of you who have been/will be sweet enough to review. Mucho amor! **

**Things to expect for the next chapter? Some Hummelberry talk, Unholy Trinity, and of course, our stars. Faberry.**


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